


Farewell Despair Academy

by Variabels



Series: Smashronpa [2]
Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Danganronpa AU, Despair, Gen, I ruin Marth and Roy's friendship every chapter, duck hunt duo are the protagonists, link is so done with Peach's shit, lots of character deaths, pichu sings despacito at one point, the dog is hunter, the duck is duncan, there will be pranks, they're still BFFs btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-05-23 18:11:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 64,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14939309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Variabels/pseuds/Variabels
Summary: Danganronpa AU.Class M63 is about to start their new school year at Hope's Peak Academy. However, the sixteen students find themselves on a deserted island with only one way out: kill without getting caught. The Duck Hunt Duo refuses to let Monokuma have his way. Will their friends have hope or will they all fall into despair and kill each other?





	1. Prologue - Back to Despair Academy

**Author's Note:**

> Hi and welcome! This is the sequel to The Academy of Hope and the Fighters of Despair. I recommend reading that story before this one.
> 
> The dog from Duck Hunt Duo is called Hunter and the duck is Duncan.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Darkness is all he can see.

"Are you okay?" a worried voice asks.

He opens his eyes and sees light. After a few seconds, an image is formed. A worried duck is looking at him.

"Hey? You're opening your eyes! You look tired, we should get you something to eat…"

He starts to lose consciousness again.

"Oh, no! I'll get a doctor, please be okay!"

_What's going on? Where am I? What happened to me? Why am I tired? I need to remember!_

* * *

Hunter's life changed in August. He had woken up to a very happy mother and father. The older dogs told their pup that he had been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Hunter. Hunter couldn't believe his eyes when his parents showed him the letter. He couldn't have been happier.

Hope's Peak Academy was the hardest school to enter. You could only enter if the school scouted you. Very few people got chosen. The school works differently from others.

Unlike most schools have classes divided by the ages of the students, Hope's Peak chooses the best students from a particular year. So a nine-year-old could attend the same class as seventeen-year-old.

There are only two requirements to enter. You must be in school and be the very best in your field of expertise.

People always say that being accepted into Hope's Peak guarantees you success for life. That is, of course, no exaggeration. Sakurai, the Ultimate Video Game Director, created the famous Super Bash Sisters. Lyndis, the Ultimate Swordswoman, became one of the most respected sword users in history passing on her skills to her son. Zelda, the Ultimate Ruler, has been able to bring calm with her wisdom and kindness to even the most chaotic groups.

There has never been a student who didn't find success after attending Hope's Peak. Once you become an Ultimate, you are set for life.

Hunter is now one of those Ultimates. He has always had a passion for hunting. His sense of smell is the best one in the family. This allows him to never miss his prey. He has helped his family thanks to his successful hunts and now that he's set for life, he'll be able to help them even more.

* * *

Hunter gulped as he stood in front of the academy of his dreams. The big building towered over him and made him feel like an ant in front of a human. He had never felt so nervous before.

But amid that nervousness, a feeling of excitement was blooming. This was Hunter's chance. His new school, his new life. He would miss his parents who had to stay back at home, but he knew that once he graduated, he'd be able to see them more often. He wanted to buy his parents a nice house to thank them. Hunter really looked forward to his future.

Finally, after a few minutes of staring in awe at the school, Hunter entered Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Hunter.

The hallways were really dark for some reason beyond Hunter's comprehension. He walked around in confusion until he saw a door. There was a light shining on it and Hunter could smell something from the other side.

Hunter opened the door and saw  _them_. His fellow students were all inside.

Hunter sighed in relief as he had found his future friends. However, there was a weird aura around the classroom.

"Who are you?" a light purple cat-like pokemon asked.

"Aw! What a cute puppy!" a blonde girl wearing a pink uniform squealed as she ran to pet Hunter.

"They let dogs in now? What's next? Talking gorillas?" a short blond teenager dressed in green smirked.

"Hey, are you also in this class?" a small yellow mouse-like pokemon wearing goggles asked.

"Yeah!" Hunter smiled nervously as everyone looked at him.

Hunter wasn't to bothered by the staring. He had expected people to be confused by his presence and he hoped to change their minds in case they disapproved of him.

"Why are we in this classroom? I don't remember having to go here," a short teenager with a mustache and doctor suit admitted.

"I tried opening all the other doors in the school but none would open besides this one. I tried leaving to look for mother but I couldn't exit," a slightly taller redhead explained, "I'm guessing this situation isn't normal. Maybe the teachers are trying to test or surprise us."

"Doesn't seem implausible. This academy has a love for abnormality," a blue haired teenager wearing a tiara agreed.

"My guess is that this is a super hard test for us to prove our worth!" a little boy wearing a thick jacket shouted in glee.

"No! That's not the case!" a high-pitched shouted back.

Hunter looked around to figure out where the voice was coming from. He a sent reached his nose and he followed it. He arrived in front of the teacher's desk. He was about to go under it when something jumped out and knocked him over.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" a white bunny cried as helped Hunter back up.

"It's okay," Hunter reassured her, "Are you a student too?"

"Of course not! I am the teacher!"

As she spoke, a few people started laughing. A huge koopa was laughing louder than everyone else combined.

"You're our teacher!?" he laughed as tears streamed down his face.

"Of course!" the bunny smiled proudly.

"But you're just a stuffed animal!" a tall green redhead laughed.

"I am Usami! I'll be your teacher from now on. I am a magical bunny capable of singing, dancing and-"

"You're so cute! Can I hug you?" a little girl asked.

"Ignore her," a blonde student grunted, "What is going here?"

"Um… W-we're..." Usami stuttered, "We're going on a field trip! We've been planning this for a long time! Your parents are of course aware! Let's go!"

As she said that, all the students started feeling sleepy and they all lost conscience.

* * *

Hunter opened his eyes and saw the sun shinning. He got up and noticed he was on a tropical beach. Most of the students freaked out as Usami tried to calm them down.

"Don't worry!" she cried out in vain, "This is normal! We're all here to have fun!"

"Could you please explain everything to us?" a small duck asked politely.

"We're going to have a school trip. That way you can all become friends! Please forget about school for now. Once everyone gets along, we'll return and start normal classes."

"That's quite… Unique? Is Hope's Peak always like this?" a blue humanoid bird smirked.

"Y-wes! We want all our students to get along! That's why we always take them to an island! This is Jabberwock island! Violence, hurting other and um… Naughty activities are all strictly forbidden here!"

"Could you enlighten us on the naughty activities?" a black 2D man giggled.

"No! Everyone, I want you all to become friends and strengthen your bonds! Let this amazing trip begin!"

Hunter couldn't believe it. He was so shocked he fainted.

Darkness was all he could see.

"Are you okay?" a worried voice asked.

He opened his eyes and saw light. After a few seconds, an image was formed. A worried duck was looking at him.

"Hey? You're opening your eyes! You look tired, we should get you something to eat…"

He started to lose consciousness again.

"Oh, no! I'll get a doctor, please be okay!"

"I..." Hunter mumbled, "I think I'll be fine… I was just so shocked."

The dog got up and started analyzing his surroundings. There was a monitor on a palm tree and a camera on the sand.

_This is so weird…_

Hunter felt the gentle warm wind caress his fur as he continued looking around. He noticed that the little duck had been following him.

"What's your name?" the dog asked.

"I'm Duncan Waterson, but you can call me Ducky. I'm the Ultimate Assistant. What about you?"

"I'm Hunter Jäger, the Ultimate Hunter."

"I should have you meet the others. They've already gone exploring."

"Thanks, that would be appreciated."

The two students were about to leave the beach when a noise came from the ground. Hunter was confused by this and found an electronic device on the ground. Duncan explained to him that it was an e-handbook and showed Hunter how to turn it on.

"Please don't lose it! It is very essential!" Usami said appearing out of thin air before disappearing.

Hunter and Duncan were silent before bursting out in laughter. Hunter felt happy to have a new friend.

After calming down, Duncan showed Hunter how the e-handbook worked. It was possible to see where everyone was on the map. Hunter found it very convenient as it meant nobody could get lost.

* * *

Once Hunter memorized everything Duncan told him, the two set off to explore the island.

The pair ran as the wind brushed against them. Their first stop was a little farm.

There was a little panel which read "Usami Corral" at the entrance. Hunter could see a monitor and a camera and reminded himself to ask about them later. Duncan noted that there weren't many animals. That remark caused Usami to appear.

"I'm sorry that there aren't many! But I can give you a cow!"

The little rabbit waved a magic stick towards the only chicken in sight. A glowing light appeared as the chicken was surrounded by pink smoke.

"Become a cow!"

And so it did. The chicken became a cow.

Hunter and Duncan were flabbergasted at the sight. Usami just giggled before disappearing.

The duo noticed a blonde girl looking at them.

"Aw, you're so adorable!" she smiled, "Hi! I'm Princess Peach Toadstool. I love cute things and I also love all kinds of sports!"

"I'm Hunter Jäger, the Ultimate Hunter. You're really a princess?"

"Yes, I'm the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. But please think of me as a fellow friend. The only order I'll ever give is to cheer up! By the way, I'm the Ultimate Multi-Sport Athlete."

"Really? You're great at many sports?"

"Apparently! I love sports as I said. But I also love desserts, pink, cute things, parties..."

The princess continued listing what she liked for a while before realizing that Hunter and Duncan were gone.

The two friends could feel a gaze staring at them. Duncan turned around and saw a giant koopa.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked.

"..."

"I guess, I'll go first. I'm Hunter the Ultimate Hunter."

"I'm Bowser Koopa… Ultimate Kidnapper."

"Wait!? Really!? That's possible!?"

"You see Peach over there. I've been kidnapping her every Tuesday for as long as I remember. My father taught me the arts of kidnapping. He's a king so we never get punished by law. People say that my father and Peach's have an agreement to let her get kidnapped every Tuesday."

"So… What do you plan on doing for a living?" Duncan asked.

"..."

The koopa remained silent before leaving.

Once the duo finished exploring the farm, they went to the hotel.

* * *

The hotel was called Hotel Mirai. It had sixteen small cabins in the front and even had a big pool.

Hunter was amazed by the grand structure in front of his eyes. He had never stayed at a nice hotel and was excited to learn what it was like.

Hunter saw two kids wearing jackets and ran over to greet them.

"Hi, I'm Hunter the Ultimate Hunter!"

"Hello, I'm Popo Nanoq. I'm the Ultimate Climber."

"And I'm Nana Piujuq, the Ultimate Extreme Weather Survivor."

"You appear to get along," Duncan noticed.

"Yeah! We've known each other for years," Popo smiled.

"We've been through so much!" Nana grinned, "Even during bad times, we still made it through!"

"How do you handle the heat with those thick jackets?" Hunter asked.

"It's getting a bit hard..." the boy admitted as he took off his jacket.

"True..." Nana laughed nervously as she also took her jacket off, "You two also seem like a duo. I like forward to hanging out with you!"

"The feeling's mutual," Duncan quacked.

The two friends waved goodbye to the two Eskimos and continued looking around. They saw a broken house that was locked with a big chain. A blonde teenager was looking at it.

"Hello," Hunter greeted.

"Hello," she greeted back.

"I'm Hunter the Ultimate Hunter."

"I'm Sheik Sheikah the Ultimate Guide."

"How do you guide people?"

"I guide them through hard times and I protect them if I must. It's a family tradition. I'm going to go study the cottages."

The blonde left while Duncan and Hunter made their way inside the hotel.

* * *

"You're the talking dog!" a blond with long pointy ears pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm Hunter the Ultimate Hunter."

"Really? How funny, your name is your talent. I'm Link Ordona."

"What's your talent?"

"I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student..."

"You don't seem very happy about that."

"Well, I was supposed to be the Ultimate Horse Rider in the Brawl branch but I won the lottery for a place as the Ultimate Luck Student. Apparently, that takes priority since they've never had a student with two ultimate talents… But it was all last moment, I couldn't even get an apartment and now I have to stay with my cousin, Time. Actually, that's the only good thing. If I had to stay with Toon and attend the same classes, I might die..."

"You sure like talking."

"My parents never let me talk in front of them. So I always end up having to rant to someone else. Anyway, wanna now one of the best parts about this trip?"

"Sure, why not?" Duncan replied as the blond smiled mischievously.

"I don't know if you've seen her. But there's a very very very totally beautiful blue haired girl in this class. Her name is Martha Lowell and she's the Ultimate Princess."

Hunter and Duncan continued looking around the interior of the hotel.

The place was nicely decorated, it even had arcade games. A fan was keeping the room cool.

Hunter kept looking at it until something fell from it. It was a small pichu wearing goggles.

"That hurt..." the little one complained.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked.

"I think… I was trying to study the fan. It works really well. I wonder if it has anything to do with the wires… Oh! I'm sorry, I was mumbling to myself. You can call me Pi. Or Sir Pichu Taijiri if you want to. I'm the Ultimate Electrician."

"You seem so young, smart and calm, it's amazing how you're the Ultimate Electrician!"

"Thanks! To be honest, I'm only calm when I'm concentrating on something… Also, my big brother Pikachu is way smarter than me. Despite working as a mascot, he loves mystery novels! You wouldn't know that by seeing him since he's so energetic!"

Pichu continued talking about Pikachu until he fell asleep.

Hunter and Duncan put the yellow pokemon on the sofa as they were approached by a short brown haired man.

"May I check him?" he asked, "My name's Mario Martinet. Please don't confuse me with my cousin Mario. Unlike him, I'm a doctor not a plumber."

"You can check him. I'm Hunter the Ultimate Hunter."

"Nice to meet you, Hunter. It seems Sir Pichu Taijiri is doing fine. He just fell asleep."

"That's good to know, doc."

"If you or anyone ever falls ill or gets injured, make sure to call me. I am the Ultimate Doctor after all."

* * *

Hunter and Duncan went up the stairs and arrived in the restaurant. It was spacious and nicely organized.

Hunter imagined what future meals would be like. He could see the younger ones playing while the older ones joked and chatted.

His daydream was interrupted by the sound of plates being taken out. He looked around and saw the 2D man and the purple pokemon.

"These plates are surprisingly expensive," the pokemon remarked.

"Plates don't change the quality of a meal, they only change the perception of someone who hasn't tasted the meal," the 2D man sighed.

"Hello, what are you doing?" Hunter asked.

"We're checking out the kitchen. Game & Watch offered to cook."

"Yes, I'm Mr. Game & Watch, the Ultimate Cook."

"I'm Hunter, Ultimate Hunter."

"I'm Mewtwo the Ultimate Geneticist. Don't even bother asking me to clone you."

"I wasn't going to ask that..."

"Hey," Game & Watch started, "Since you're the Ultimate Hunter, I think we could collaborate."

"Sounds good to me! I just need to meet everyone else first. See you guys later!"

* * *

Hunter and Duncan were in front of a supermarket. It looked very big from the outside. It had a big logo on which was written "Rocketpunch Market".

The duo entered it and was met by rows of food, swimming costumes and anything else they would need on a tropical deserted island.

Hunter felt a smile form on his face as he saw his favorite snacks at the top of one of the many shelves. The dog ran but soon realized there was no way for him to reach the snacks.

"Do you need some help getting those snacks?" a blue haired teenager asked.

"You're… What did he call you again? Princess Martha?"

Hunter was met with a glare. A very scary glare. One even scarier than when his parents ever got angry at him.

Meanwhile, Duncan and a redhead were laughing at the situation in front of them.

"I'll tell you this once and only once. My name is Marth Lowell and I'm the Ultimate Prince. Call me a princess again and I'll-"

"Hi, there!" the redhead interrupted, "My name's Roy Pherae. Marth's a bit stuck up, but don't hold it against him."

"Roy, what are you talking about? I'm not stuck up, my talent requires me to-"

"Anyway… I hope we all get to be friends!"

"What's your talent?" Hunter asked.

"I'm the Ultimate Swordsman… Not as though I truly deserve it. My parents are way better than me. If anything, my talent should be related to burning things."

"Why? Do you enjoy burning things?"

"Yeah! It's pretty fun. I was planning on burning Marth's sword while he wasn't watching."

"What? Why?" Marth asked, "What did Falchion ever do to you?"

"I thought it would be funny to watch your reaction."

"Wait? You can bring swords?" Duncan quacked.

The two swordsmen nodded as Hunter's jaw dropped. Duncan sighed and flew to get Hunter's snacks while Marth and Roy bickered and Hunter's soul returned to its body.

* * *

The last stop on the island was the airport. It was empty and looked abandoned.

"This airport sucks!" a blue bird complained, "None of these airplanes are real!"

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Hunter."

"The name's Falco, I'm the Ultimate Pilot. Personally, I prefer being in the air."

"I've never flown before."

"Really? Well, once this trip is over, I could take you for a ride."

"Thanks, that would be appreciated!"

* * *

Hunter and Duncan had finished exploring the island when they noticed a bridge. They crossed it and arrived on another island. This island was the central island connecting to all the other islands. However, the entrances to the bridges that lead to other islands were closed. So the duo decided to visit the park on the central island.

A giant statue stood at the center of the park. Hunter and Duncan stared at the statue in awe before being joined by a green man.

"My sisters could carve a better statue."

"Huh? Your sisters?" Hunter asked.

"Yes. My name is Ganondorf Gerudo. I am the Ultimate Organ Player and future king of the Gerudo Tribe."

"There's a lot of royalty in this class..."

"I will not attend a class full of puny people. I couldn't care less about the royalty. I want a class full of strong people."

"That's certainly a unique way of viewing… classes?"

The conversation didn't continue much as an announcement interrupted it.

***Ding Dong Ding Dong***

" **Congratulations everyone! You have all met! I have a special present for everyone, please come to the beach!"**

* * *

After a few minutes, all the students had gathered on the beach. Usami was very pleased and gave everyone little plushies. Some students were pleased with the cute toys but others were bothered by the wasted time.

"Um… I also got you another present!" the bunny cried out, "I have a motive!"

"Are you going to make us kill each other?" Link asked.

"What!?"

"A party! It's going to be a party!" Peach squealed.

"Kinda! We're having a beach party! I bought swimsuits for all of you!"

Most of the class was excited and immediately left to change while the other stayed at the beach.

"I thought you'd want to swim," Roy told Duncan.

"I can't help but feel something's going to go wrong..."

"I'm surprised," Sheik admitted, "You seemed happy with Hunter."

"We did have fun, but I can't… I have a gut feeling something will go wrong."

"Do you expect someone to drown or something? There is a doctor here," Marth reassured the duck.

"I'm not sure… Maybe I should try relaxing..."

"Everyone's back!" Usami announced.

The students jumped into the ocean with a huge splash. Some played while others swam. They were all having a lot of fun.

Seeing her students so happy filled Usami's heart with joy. The joy in the air calmed Duncan down and his love for swimming quickly overtook his fears.

The duck was about to join his friends when the sky darkened. Usami started screaming about the unexpected weather as the students left the water.

One of the monitors turned on and a static image appeared.

" **Ehem...Testing… Testing! Can you hear me?"**

The voice was cheerful and sounded like the voice belonging to a cartoon character. The students were confused as Usami shook in fear.

" **Upupu… Did someone take a shit? No one… Aw, I'm disappointed. Well, you bastards better head to Jabberwock park! I will not accept any delays!"**

"This is terrible! I must do something!" Usami cried as she disappeared.

The students with swimsuits went to change while the others ran to Jabberwock park.

* * *

Usami yelled as everyone arrived in the park.

"Show yourself! I won't tolerate your behavior!"

"Upupupu!" a voice laughed.

"Come out! Where are you?"

"Upupupu! Ahahaha!"

As the laughs got louder, the statue in the center of the park started cracking. The statue broke as a monochromatic bear came out of it.

"Upupu! I am fucking back! Monokuma, the headmaster, at your service!"

"Why are you here?" Usami yelled.

"Ugh, shut up you piece of trash! All your stupid joy and friendship is making me sick. We need to give society what they truly want. Chaos! Conflict! Pain! Sadness! Horror! Tragedy! Despair!"

"Hey, what the fuck is that bear doing?" Ganondorf shouted.

"Stay back! He is dangerous!" Usami pleaded.

"He doesn't look dangerous," Peach told the rabbit.

"Please stay back! As long as I have my magic stick, I can deal with him!"

Monokuma attacked Usami and broke her stick. The bunny started to cry but the bear continued to attack her. A cloud of dust formed around the two. When it dissipated, the bunny's appearance had changed.

Her right side was white whereas the left one was pink. Her left eye had turned red and she was wearing diapers. Tears streamed down the bunny's cheeks while Monokuma laughed at her.

"You're a terrible little sister, Monomi! Upupu!"

"Little sister? No! Turn me back!"

The bunny was met with multiple punches.

The students watched the two stuffed toys fight in confusion. The bear had beaten up Monomi and was laughing.

"I have an announcement you bastards! Friendship is so boring, so don't even bother with it! Watching you kill each other is much more fun. Your field trip of mutual killing starts right now!"

"Mutual killing? What do you mean by that?" Hunter asked.

"It means you'll have to kill each other. The rules have changed. To leave, you need to kill somebody, not get caught and overcome the class trial!"

"What class trial?" Duncan wondered.

"When a body is discovered, you'll have time to investigate. After that, we have a trial to find who the killer is. The killer will be blackened and the rest whitened. If you find who the killer is, they'll be punished and you will continue your field trip. But if you can't find the correct killer, everyone besides them will be punished and they will be allowed to leave."

"What will the punishment be?" Sheik grunted.

"Execution. Punishment Time is the best part of the trial. We get to see all kinds of executions, shot to death, punched to death, burned to death, squished to death, even blown up to death!"

Hunter felt as though his heart stopped beating as the bear explained the executions. He couldn't allow the bear to kill anyone. He yelled at the bear that no one would ever kill and was soon joined by the other students.

"Upupu! They told me the same! Anyway, another important rule is that you may not harm me. Otherwise, you'll also be punished. Monobeasts! I summon you!"

Giant robots appeared from the trees and surrounded the students. Everyone was too scared to move or speak. A menacing aura radiated around the robots.

Monokuma laughed as he ordered the robots to execute Monomi. In a few seconds, the robots had managed to turn Monomi to dust.

The air was filled with fear and despair. Peach screamed as she saw Monomi's ashes. No one dared to even speak to Monokuma.

"Aw, did they scare you? Are you feeling the despair? Upupu! You have no way to escape! Your lives are under my control!"

"Oh, really?" Link taunted, "You're just a lame piece of trash. As if I'll let my life be controlled by a fucking shit like you!"

"Upupu! You remind me of him… But with no filter..."

"Link's right," Marth agreed, "You have no way to make us kill each other. Your despair is pathetic."

"Upupu! I wouldn't be so sure if I was you, princess. All it takes is the right motive and you'll kill your best friend. Anyway, make sure to read the rules! I'll give you sometime before giving you a motive! See ya later, bastards!"

The bear and robots disappeared leaving the students alone.

"What do we do now?" Roy asked.

"We look for who's controlling Monokuma. He's just a robot, someone has to be controlling him," Mewtwo answered.

"I don't think it's Monokuma we should fear the most..." Duncan started, "It's us we should fear… He doesn't want to kill us… He wants us to kill each other."

"I won't let any of that happen!" Hunter barked, "I won't let Monokuma make us lose faith in each other. We'll have to prove to him that he can't control us!"

Duncan was unsure about what to think. He wanted to believe in Hunter, but he knew that reality didn't care about people's feelings. Someone was bound to fall for Monokuma's traps. Someone was bound to kill someone. Someone was going to want to leave so much that they'd rather see their friends die than stay on the island.

Duncan had no idea who would be the first one to snap. It might be him, it might be Hunter, it might be someone he's not close to. But that didn't matter, he knew someone was going to die and it could even be him.

The fear and distrust Monokuma had created among the students was despair-inducing. The bear had turned what could have been a fun trip with friends into a nightmare filled with potential enemies. Not knowing who to trust and distrust was much scarier than knowing who your enemies were.

This back to school wasn't a normal one… It had shown every student something they had never wanted to experience. It taught them the feeling of despair.

And it was despair that would lead to the first death of "The Field Trip of Mutual Killing".

* * *

**Deleted scene:**

Roy: Hi, I'm Roy.

Marth: I'm Marth.

Roy: You look like a male version of one of my childhood friends.

Marth: What a coincidence! I also look like a male version of one of my childhood friends.

Roy: Wow! Are we friends now?

Marth: Probably.


	2. Chapter 1 - Smashing Despair - Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan and Hunter enjoy their time with their new friends. But will the peace last?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome!
> 
> In case some of you are confused, the Link in this story is from Twilight Princess (was hinted in the first story), Young Link would make it too confusing.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

Hunter stared at his e-handbook with contempt. He had been so excited and Monokuma had to ruin it for everyone. The bear had managed to ruin what would have been a great opportunity to make friends and share many great memories. The dog couldn't forgive him, he'd make sure not to allow anyone to kill.

Hunter switched on his e-handbook to see if Monokuma had changed anything. He read the rules section which was new and decorated with many drawings of Monokumas.

**Rule #1 The teacher may not interfere with the students unless a rule is broken.**

**Rule #2 After a body discovered, there will be a period of investigation followed by a trial. Participation is mandatory, unless the teacher gives permission to sit it out.**

**Rule #3 If the blackened is exposed, they alone shall be executed.**

**Rule #4 If the blackened is not exposed, the whitened will all be executed.**

**Rule #5 As a reward, the surviving blackened will be allowed to graduate and leave the island.**

**Rule #6 Destroying property is forbidden. Destroying cameras and monitors is forbidden.**

**Rule #7 You may explore the island as much as you like.**

**Rule #8 The blackened may only kill two persons at most during the killing game.**

**Rule #9 Each student must sleep in their cottage or anywhere else indoors. Sleeping outside is prohibited.**

Hunter made sure to memorize the rules on his way back to his cottage. He walked slowly as he thought about the future of the trip.

_It's not looking well… I hope we all make it through, I don't want anyone to die…_

When he arrived to his cottage, he noticed a shooting star. The dog wished all his friends would make it out alive.

Hunter entered his cottage and immediately started analyzing it. In the center, lied a comfy looking dog bed. Next to the walls, there were shelves filled with toys and hunting equipment. The bathroom was nothing special, just the necessary toilet, sink and shower. A Monokuma plushy was lying on a table next to some books.

Hunter went to his bed and looked out the of the window. He felt like a red dwarf star surrounded by ginormous blue giants. The little star being his hope and the blue giants being the despair radiating in the air.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Hunter closed his eyes as he tried to ignore the fear of despair. He eventually fell asleep before being rudely woken up by the morning announcement.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Hunter's stomach grumbled and the dog made his way to the restaurant.

Hunter was the last to arrive. Mr. Game & Watch had made breakfast for everyone and it smelled delicious.

Duncan waved to Hunter and the dog joined his friend for breakfast. Their meal was a simple French breakfast. A delicious freshly baked croissant with a warm cup of hot chocolate.

"Hey, Hunter. What do you think we're going to have to do?" Duncan asked.

"We'll have to resist Monokuma. I'll make sure no one has to kill!"

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Mewtwo asked.

"Um… I'll find a way."

"Maybe we can set up a secret base or something," Roy suggested.

"That sounds so cool!" Popo grinned, "We can put everything we find in there! We can write stuff and stick it to the walls."

"Yeah!" Nana agreed, "We can decorate our base to make it comfier!"

"But where will we set it up?" Dr. Mario sighed.

"We could set it up in the broken house outside. We just have to fix it before settling in," Marth explained, "If we divide into groups, we could have it renovated in a few days."

"And since we're sixteen, we can divide ourselves into four groups of four. One group fixes the house, one cleans up, one brings in furniture and one decorates," Sheik added.

After having discussed the topic extensively, the groups were decided. Pichu, Dr. Mario, Popo and Sheik would fix the house. Hunter, Duncan, Peach and Falco would clean up. Nana, Ganondorf, Mewtwo and Bowser would bring in and assemble furniture. Marth, Roy, Link and Mr. Game & Watch would decorate.

The 'fixing the house' group immediately left to ask Monokuma to allow them in the broken house. The bear laughed and accepted.

* * *

Hunter and Duncan were playing Frisbee on the beach. Peach, who was walking by, saw them and asked if she could play too. The trio played for an hour before being exhausted.

"That was so fun!" Princess Peach smiled, "I'm glad we can still have fun on this island! When Monokuma announced the killing game, I was so scared… This island made me feel free unlike at home where I'm confined to the castle. But now I feel trapped..."

"I understand that feeling," Duncan admitted, "I always feel trapped on the ground, but when I fly… I'm free… But I don't know if we should be having fun..."

"Now that I think about it..." Hunter started, "Wouldn't us having fun mean we're not letting ourselves be controlled by Monokuma?"

"You're right!" the blonde gasped, "We need to have fun! Fun and hope won't let us fall into despair like Monokuma wants us to! I should organize a fun sports tournament or something. Maybe we could ask Game & Watch to teach us how to cook. I've never gotten the chance and I've always wanted to try."

"How come you never got to try?" Hunter asked.

"Being royalty means you don't get to do certain things. My father has maids do the cooking. He's also scared I'll burn myself… He's a nice father. He cares a lot about me. I just wish he'd let me do what I want for once. I have more freedom when I'm kidnapped! For the longest time, my only friends were Daisy and these two plumbers."

"But now you have us and everyone else in the class! You have a lot of friends here to support you!"

"Hunter's right, you can also do whatever you want now."

"Thank you!" Peach thanked, "You two are so supportive! If you ever need someone to talk to or any help, feel free to talk with me! I'm going to go find Game & Watch! See ya!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the broken house, the 'fixing the house' group was doing its job.

Pichu was repairing some broken cables while Dr. Mario checked for safety hazards. The duo was working efficiently. Within an hour, they had fixed all the cables and confirmed that every part of the house was safe. At the same time, Popo and Sheik had fixed the roof to avoid leaks.

"This house looked so small from the outside! But it's so big!" Pichu screamed.

"Be thankful you're not in the 'cleaning up' crew," Sheik reassured the pokemon.

"The luckiest group are the decorators! It must be so fun choosing all the decorations!"

"I wish I was with Nana. Why is she in the furniture gang?" Popo asked.

The others shrugged at his question. They hadn't decided the groups after all.

Dr. Mario stood up and announced it was lunch break.

The group went to the restaurant and Mario cooked them a healthy Italian lemon sauce pasta.

"Wow! You made something good and healthy!" Pichu smiled as he gobbled up his lunch.

"You and Game should collaborate! We can have healthy meals that taste great!" Popo grinned.

"We're lucky to have a doctor and a cook among us," Sheik admitted.

"It's-a… I mean, it's nothing," Mario blushed, "I didn't become a doctor for no reason. I love helping people."

"You're motivating me!" the yellow pokemon yelled, "Let's go fix the house!"

* * *

The house was fully repaired by the early afternoon. The 'fixing the house' group left as the 'cleaning up' crew entered.

Peach brought the cleaning supplies and everyone started cleaning. Falco dashed through the halls with the Kirby vacuum cleaner seemingly enjoying himself. Peach skipped along the hallways with a mop. Duncan cleaned the lights and everything that was too high to reach. Hunter washed the windows.

"This is so fun!" Peach squealed.

"You think so?" Duncan asked.

"Yeah! I've been having so much fun! Mr. Game & Watch taught me how to make rice."

"I think you have a rival in terms of who's having the most fun," Hunter laughed as he pointed towards Falco.

The bird noticed his three classmates staring at him and he snapped.

"I'm not having fun! I'm just doing this quickly to get the job done!"

"Sure you are," Duncan sighed.

"I want to vacuum too!" Peach cheered.

"I'd also like to try!" Hunter joined in.

"Can you teach us, Falco?"

The bird glared and reluctantly accepted the trio's request.

* * *

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

"We're finally done!" Peach smiled tiredly.

"Let's go have dinner," Falco ordered.

The four friends made themselves sandwiches before saying their goodbyes and returning to their respective cottages.

* * *

Hunter went to bed satisfied with his day. He had befriended Princess Peach and Falco, even though the latter would deny them being friends.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Hunter woke up and went to the restaurant for breakfast. When he arrived, he saw an amusing scene.

Nana was wearing sunglasses and was surrounded by Mewtwo, Bowser and Ganondorf. Popo was running towards them and he didn't appear to be happy at all.

"Don't bully her!" Popo yelled.

"Hi, Popo! They're not bullying me," the little girl smiled, "They're helping me prepare for our work."

"Huh? Why?"

"We're the furniture gang," Ganondorf answered, "We have the utmost respect for Nana's talent, but she is lacking in the badass section."

"That's why we're making her more badass by giving her sunglasses," Bowser added, "Peach should wear them, she'd look badass!"

"Do you ever stop thinking about her?" Mewtwo asked rhetorically.

* * *

After eating breakfast, Hunter and Duncan went for a run. They played at the beach but soon got bored. Duncan suggested that they should prank somebody, but he wasn't sure who. Hunter told his friend that they should just plan the prank before deciding their victim.

The two friends went to Rocketpunch Market to find items to use for their prank. The duo was overwhelmed by the number of possibilities the shop offered. They decided they had to do multiple pranks.

After finding the most interesting items, the duo felt hungry. They went to the vending machine and found Roy.

"Hi," the teenager smiled, "What are you doing with all that stuff?"

"We're planning something awesome!" Hunter barked.

"You are?"

"Yeah! It's going to be the coolest prank ever!"

"I doubt it can beat the time I set Hector's axe on fire, but I'm willing to give you second place."

"You set Hector's axe on fire? Is he some important person?" Duncan asked.

"He's just a marquess, dad's best friend and one of my friend's father. He really hates me, though."

"Um, this might sound weird… But why do you like setting things on fire?"

"Well… I was really clumsy as a kid. Every time I was close to fire, I'd accidentally burn everything. Now it's kind of a habit."

"How can that become a habit?" Hunter whispered to Duncan.

"I don't know, must be a human thing," Duncan whispered back.

The redhead just smiled at the two, Hunter smiled back nervously. Duncan was sure the redhead had overheard them but was choosing to ignore them.

The atmosphere was getting awkward, so Hunter attempted to fix it.

"Is there anything cool you can do with your sword that no one else can?" the dog asked catching Roy off guard.

"I guess I can use a sword that's set on fire without burning myself," the swordsman answered before setting his sword on fire.

Why someone would try that was beyond Duncan, but he was impressed with the redhead's ability. All though, a part of him feared that he might end up a roasted duck on someone's dinner plate.

"Hey, would you like to help us with our prank?" Hunter asked.

"Huh? You really want my help?" Roy answered.

"Sure! It will be fun!"

"I guess I can. Who are we pranking?"

* * *

Marth was having a very uneventful day, that meant he was bored. So bored that he had to resort to hanging out with Link because he couldn't find Roy. If Marth had to describe what hanging out with Link felt like, he'd say that it's the same feeling as when he opened the door expecting something awesome and all he got was Merric asking him where Elice was. In less nice words, it was absolute shit.

The two teenagers spent their time arguing about who had the worst family meetings.

Marth insisted that having to spend a day with Lucina fangirling over him was the absolute worst. Her little brother, Morgan, using Chrom's sword to squish bugs meant he had to babysit the insectophobic boy. It didn't help that Owain was going on about his magical hand the whole time. It really made Marth wonder if he was secretly using it as a code for something else, something not suitable for a family-friendly environment. His big sister, Elice, had also recently graduated from the "kids" table and could now sit with the adults. This left Marth alone with the crazy Ylissean side of the family.

However, Link argued that his family meetings were much worse. He was the only one that did not wake up at 1 pm. Every time he'd try to wake someone up he was met with a death glare, or a punch in the face when he dared to wake up Toon. Time and Wild were sane, but the former was too nice and Link was sure that Wild stole his pet dog once. The "Twilight may not speak" rule also meant he never got to say anything during the family discussion. And this was all without mentioning Dick's legendary catchphrase that had rubbed off on him.

Luckily, Roy arrived in time to save the day. The redhead insisted they should go to the farm. Marth and Link both noticed something was off with their friend but chose to ignore it. They were too happy about the fight being ended. The teenagers spent an hour messing around on the farm before getting hungry.

* * *

At the restaurant, the trio was enjoying lunch until it was ruined. Roy had gone to get more drinks and sauces when Link accidentally dropped his fork. Link bent down to get it but Roy managed to trip over Link's hand. They were both unharmed, but it was a different story for the drinks and sauces. They all ended up on Marth and the prince was pissed. The blond gave the redhead a 'you're fucking dead, bro' look and Roy replied with a 'yeah, I know' look.

"Uh, Marth? Are you okay?" Roy asked.

"As nice as it is for you to worry about my well-being… Do I look okay!?" the prince yelled.

"You should probably go take a shower."

"Yeah. Here, take my… Where are my keys?"

"Maybe they fell out of your pocket in the farm?" Link suggested.

The trio returned to the farm to look for Marth's keys. On the way, several other students were met with glares and apologies. They managed to quickly find the keys and Marth rushed back to his cottage to take a shower.

When he arrived, he ran past his bedroom and found an army of rubber ducks in the bathroom. The blue-haired teen moved them out of the way before taking his shower. When he opened the tap, he noticed something was wrong, very wrong. The urge to kill somebody was rising in him.

* * *

Link and Roy were waiting outside, playing a crappy tamagochi game on their e-handbooks before being joined by the Duck Hunt Duo.

"How's it going on?" Hunter asked.

"Something's going on?" Link replied.

"There should be screams in a few seconds," Roy answered with a mischievous smile.

"You're much smarter than you look," Duncan admitted, "I didn't think you could come up with such a-"

Duncan's sentence was interrupted by screams coming from Marth's cottage. Hunter called for Monokuma to open Marth's door. The bear seemed amused and allowed them to enter the cottage where they found a very angry, dripping wet and covered in foam Marth.

"What happened, Marth?" Roy asked.

"Looking good, princess," Link joked.

"Who the Hell put chicken stock in my shower, painted my soap, put water in my shampoo, filled the toilet with toilet paper, stole my towel, replaced all my clothes with dresses, photoshopped my face on to pictures of fashion models, covered my bed with balloons and placed foam strategically so that it would fall when I exited the bathroom?" the angry prince shouted.

"What about the duckies?" Roy blurted out as he tried to restrain his laughter.

"I'm keeping all of them!" Marth yelled before being hit with an epiphany, "How do you know about the duckies?"

"They're visible from here?"

The two swordsmen bickered while Link and Monokuma seemingly died of laughter. Duncan wondered if they might have ruined Marth and Roy's friendship while Hunter reassured him that was not the case.

"I'm using your shower, Roy! So you better find my clothes before I'm done or I'll kill you!" Marth yelled as he grabbed Roy.

The two left and the others were left to continue laughing.

"I-I kinda feel bad for Roy," Duncan admitted.

"I'm sure he found it worth it," Hunter laughed.

* * *

While those goofballs were having fun, the furniture gang was hard at work. Nana had been voted as the supreme leader of the gang and was the one to instruct everyone on what to do. The problem was that she couldn't understand Ikea instructions, so Mewtwo had to "translate" it.

Once Mewtwo had translated everything, the group's efficiency rose. They were so into their work that they didn't notice the sobbing Popo at the window crying out "Nana!".

They were so good in fact, that they ended up finishing quickly like true badasses. This meant they could have early lunch.

The gang went to the restaurant and made themselves a huge meal which ended up burned since none of them knew how to cook. Despite that, they still enjoyed themselves.

"That was surprisingly fun," Ganondorf admitted.

"I agree," Mewtwo agreed, "Nana even managed to get Bowser to shut up about Peach."

"You're making it sound as though I'm obsessed with her!" Bowser complained.

"That's 'cause you are," Nana smirked, causing an "Oh!" from Mewtwo and Ganondorf.

"W-whatever," Bowser stuttered, "We should go find the… I don't know what their group name is."

"I don't think they came up with one."

The furniture gang spent an hour looking for the group that had to decorate and only found Game & Watch. They decided to check the last place they hadn't checked which was the farm. The farm was empty, so they returned to the house.

"Mewtwo! Don't you have some super cool powers to find them?" Nana whined.

"Unless they're asleep, no."

"Maybe we should ask Monokuma for help?" Bowser suggested.

"No, that would be embarrassing. We can't have a teddy bear help us," Ganondorf told the koopa.

Mr. Game & Watch sighed as the furniture gang discussed their next course of action. The two-dimensional man hoped his group would be less energetic and eccentric than the furniture gang.

* * *

After having lunch, Hunter and Duncan found Pichu playing by the beach. The little pokemon was alone, so the duo offered to play with him. The three friends ended up playing hide and seek in the airport. After a few rounds, they stopped to rest.

"How do you have so much energy when you're so small?" Hunter asked as he gasped for air.

"It runs in the family. I always played with my brother when we were at home! His favorite game was tag."

"What's your favorite game?" Duncan said, "I personally like hide and seek."

"Seeing as how you can fly, I'm not surprised. I like anything involving electricity, all though it's a bit hard to play with most people. I always accidentally hurt myself and I'm supposed to be resistant to electricity."

"You are?"

"Yeah! I can't even be paralyzed by electricity! When I was smaller and dumber, I liked paralyzing bugs. Big brother kept telling me it was wrong… Now I get what he means."

"Sometimes I wonder what having a big brother is like..."

"I can be your big brother!" Hunter smiled.

"Can I be the funny uncle!" Pichu grinned, "I've always wanted to be a funny family member! I'd always accidentally hurt myself on Christmas with the lights. My parents even wanted my cousin Libre to beat some sense into me! Of course, they weren't actually serious and Libre didn't want to hurt me, she's too nice despite being a wrestler."

"Your family sure seems fun!"

"They're pretty funny in my opinion! I really miss them though. I wish we had been told about this weird trip test thingy before! My parents spent so much time and money searching for an apartment for me to stay in."

"I understand. My family's not the best one economically wise, even so my parents spent a lot of time finding somewhere for me to stay," Hunter admitted, "But once we leave, we'll be able to see them again!"

"You're right! I can't wait to see Pikachu and tell him about this place and all of you guys!"

"But what if people really do die?" Duncan whispered.

"Don't worry! It won't happen!" the pokemon cheered before lowering his voice, "But if it does, my motto is to always stay positive! Cherish the dead but don't let them get you depressed! Remember them and don't let the enemy beat you!"

The trio continued playing until dinner time.

* * *

After another hour of searching, the furniture gang and Mr. Game & Watch had finally found the three other members of the group without a name. The group without a name went to Rocketpunch Market to find decorations.

"Maybe we could make a coke dispenser with these big bottles of coke?" Game & Watch asked only to be ignored.

"We should call ourselves Marth's Super Awesome Badass Royal Decorators!" Marth said.

"You don't show it but you're secretly just a big dork like all of us," Roy noted.

"W-what!? I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! You're dorkier than Link and I combined."

"Hey! All the other guys have a synonym of group in their names. Maybe we should be The Decorators. We'll stand out much more!" Link suggested.

"Not cool enough, the Furniture Gang managed to make a cool name with the word furniture in it."

"We're calling it The Decorators and that's final!" Game & Watch snapped.

Once they had found what they wanted, The Decorators went to the house to decorate. However, there was a big clash of ideas. No one agreed on where to put what, which resulted in hours of bickering between Marth and Roy while Link tried to stop them. Mr. Game & Watch gave up and ended up reading a random magazine he had found in Rocketpunch Market.

In the end, everyone agreed to start with the kitchen since barely anyone cared about it.

* * *

Since Mr. Game & Watch was busy, Dr. Mario made dinner. He made a delicious pizza using healthy ingredients.

Hunter and Duncan were enjoying their pizzas with Peach and Pichu. They were having a nice conversation which ended up interrupted when Roy came running into the restaurant. He told Dr. Mario that there was a situation in the house and he was needed. The doctor left with the swordsman and Hunter decided to follow them.

Everyone entered the house and ran towards the kitchen. There they found Marth and Link talking to a huge stack of pans and pots. Dr. Mario was confused and asked if the problem was mental, but Roy explained that Mr. Game & Watch was underneath the stack.

"Hey, you're going to be okay now!" Marth announced to the stack.

"Dr. Mario's here! He'll save you!" Link added.

There was no reply.

Dr. Mario walked towards the stack and carefully removed the pots as to not accidentally tear Mr. Game & Watch apart. The doctor checked on the two-dimensional man's health and announced he was fine but traumatized and very angry. Everyone sighed in relief at the news. Dr. Mario accompanied Game & Watch to his cottage.

"So, how's the decorating going?" Hunter asked.

The three decorators just looked at each other with disgust and unwillingness to say how they messed up.

"I think it's best not to ask," Duncan sighed as he put a wing over Hunter's shoulder.

"If you say so."

* * *

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Hunter was feeling really sleepy. He had had an eventful day after all. He quickly jumped on his bed and fell asleep as soon as he landed on it.

* * *

"We're finally done!" Link yawned.

"It would have been much easier if someone hadn't knocked over all the pans and pots," Roy glared at Marth.

"It's Link's fault! If he had caught the pan I threw, everything would have been avoided," Marth glared back.

"What's with you two? After the shower incident, you two won't stop bickering. Did the shower prank really bother you that much? Roy did clean up your room once you finished your shower at his cottage."

"Whatever, I'm too tired for this. Let's finish this conversation tomorrow."

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

The three friends were left speechless by the morning announcement.

* * *

Hunter and Duncan entered the restaurant for breakfast. Duncan noticed that Roy and Link seemed half-asleep. Marth appeared all right from the outside but the duck could tell that he was just faking it. Duncan wondered if they stayed up late to finish decorating. Hunter was oblivious and greeted everyone with joy.

Hunter and Duncan ate breakfast before leaving to build a sand castle at the beach. After an hour, the two friends had built a big castle. They were really proud of it and decided they wanted a photo of it.

They rushed to Rocketpunch Market to get a disposable instant print camera to photograph their work of art.

Duncan was suddenly struck with an idea. He told Hunter that they should take photos to hang in their newly completed base. Hunter loved the idea and the duo went for a session of photography.

They took photos of many different things and places and were content with the results. They were about to go the house when Monokuma made an announcement.

"Meeting at the park! Meeting at the park!"

* * *

It took only a few minutes for everyone to gather at the park. The air was tense as no one knew what was about to be announced by the psychotic bear.

"Thank you for coming to the show! Monomi, play the music."

The bunny reluctantly played some music to start the show.

"I am a student at Hope's Peak," Monokuma sang, "And I have been contaminated by despair and so I must kill, because if I don't… Everyone will die in twenty-four hours!"

The students all stared in confusion which angered the bear.

"I'm saying if you don't kill someone within twenty-four hours, you will all die!" the bear shouted.

"What do you mean, we'll all die? You can't kill everyone because you want to!" Hunter barked.

"I can, I am the headmaster after all. I will do what is necessary for this field trip of mutual killing to be a success."

"As if any of us will actually kill!"

"Yeah, that's what they all say. I guess you'll see tomorrow! See ya!" the bear said before leaving.

"D-don't listen to him!" Usami cried, "He's a bad guy! No one has to kill! I know you guys can make it!"

"B-but what if someone takes him seriously?" Duncan stuttered.

"No one will!" Pichu decided, "We need to stay positive!"

"Pichu's right!" Peach agreed, "I think we should discuss this back at the base."

* * *

All the students went to the base. The old house was now a fully equipped base. The biggest room had become a nicely decorated meeting room where they could all discuss. The students decided to do an anonymous vote on who thought someone would really kill.

Ten people believed that someone would kill someone else, while six believed no one would kill.

"What? There really are some of you who would doubt others?" Popo asked in shock.

"We don't know who we're up against," Sheik answered, "We have no way of knowing who'll take Monokuma seriously. It's best to play it safe and be suspicious."

"Even so, Monokuma wants us to doubt each other!" Peach yelled, "We need to make sure we all stay friends!"

"Ugh, can you shut up?" Ganondorf groaned, "Someone's going to kill, how can you not get that through your head? It doesn't matter if we all become best friends, someone is going to want to leave at some point."

"Are you planning on killing someone?" Popo glared, "I won't forgive you if you even think about it!"

"No, I'd much rather have people kill each other until I'm the last man standing."

The meeting ended with tension between most of the students. When dinner time approached, most of them left.

Only Peach, Pichu, Nana, Popo, Sheik, Duncan and Hunter stayed at the house. Sheik apologized to Peach for being rude and the princess accepted the apology stating that it was Monokuma's intention to have chaos among the students.

"What are we supposed to do now? Wait until tomorrow?" Sheik asked.

"Monokuma seems to like being weird..." Popo noted, "Maybe he'll be disappointed tomorrow when no one kills and he won't kill us! That would make his field trip a complete failure!"

"So if we act normally, nothing should happen?" Hunter smiled.

"I'd recommend you don't open your doors to anyone at night, just in case," Sheik advised, "It's probably even safer to leave your room alone than with someone else. The rules state only two people may be killed by one person, thus making groups of four the safest option to go somewhere."

"Thanks, Sheik! You're giving great advice!"

"I'll make sure to remember it all!" Popo grinned.

"Me too!" Nana added.

"I'll also remember it..." Duncan whispered.

* * *

Duncan was feeling tired after dinner, so he went to bed early.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

The announcement really was annoying for the duck, but he couldn't do anything about it. The announcement also scared him. Monokuma just had to mention the word "kill". Duncan could feel in his gut that someone was going to die. Sometimes, Duncan felt that his pessimistic and paranoiac nature was a curse. But in his current situation, it might actually save him.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan woke up stressed. He was scared, he really wanted nobody to be dead. But his gut kept telling someone was dead.

The duck nervously made his way to the restaurant, checking on his way for any dead bodies. He didn't find any…

Hunter greeted the duck and noticed he seemed upset. The dog asked what was wrong and the duck told him he thought someone was dead. The dog reassured his friend that everyone was still alive and that they'd all have breakfast together.

But an hour passed and people were still missing. Roy, Marth, Link, Popo and Nana weren't in the restaurant and Duncan was getting worried.

"People are still not here..." the duck shivered.

"I'm sure Marth, Roy and Link are probably fooling around somewhere. Popo and Nana are probably playing together somewhere."

The duck was unconvinced and asked everyone to help him look for them.

* * *

They started looking around the cottages. Duncan saw through the windows that Marth, Roy and Link were all sleeping in their respective cottages. ' _They must still be really tired_ ,' Duncan thought.

However, Popo and Nana couldn't be found. Hunter checked on his e-handbook and noticed that the feature that had allowed them to track other's positions had been disabled.

All the students currently present were about to leave the hotel when they saw Nana running.

"Guys! I can't find Popo," the girl cried.

"We'll have to look around everywhere!" Hunter decided.

The students had searched the farm, the beach and the airport. This left Rocketpunch Market as the only place that hadn't been searched. When they arrived at the shop, they were met by a revolting scene.

Popo's splattered body was lying on the concrete ground in front of the shop. He lied in a pool of his own blood.

Nana cried as she saw her friend dead.

"Popo! No, Popo!" she sobbed, "You can't be dead!"

"I won't let the killer get away with this!" Hunter yelled angrily.

"I… I knew this would happen..." Duncan whispered.

He felt terrible for Nana. She hadn't done anything to deserve the cruel fate of seeing a friend die. She was too young for this despair.

"A body has been discovered! After some investigation time, the trial will begin! Good luck, you bastards!" Monokuma announced.

Duncan and Hunter both knew what had to be done. They had to find the killer who had dared to bring despair to a young innocent girl and her class.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Roy: What do we do with these frying pans?

Marth: I saw in a movie that you're supposed to hit people with them.

Roy: But that kills people. You shouldn't-

Marth: Link, catch! ( _throws frying pan_ )

Link: ( _fails to catch it like the utter failure he is_ )

The frying pan hits a shelf and all the pots and pans fall on Game & Watch.

Marth: Shit! I killed somebody!

Link: What are we going to do?

Roy: I told you not to play with it!

Marth: Don't do hindsight, Roy!

Link: Do you think he might survive since he's 2D?

Marth: Roy, go get Mario!

Roy: Why me? ( _is ignored_ )

Marth: Don't worry, Roy will bring help!

Link: You won't die, I promise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> There's a chance that memes become illegal in Europe this week… I hope the EU does the sane choice and votes against link taxes… Memes are my life…
> 
> I seriously spent more time planning the prank than Popo's death… I feel bad for that… I know more about death than pranks.
> 
> This chapter was really mean to Marth. I really love torturing my favorite characters. Game & Watch probably had it worse, the poor guy was stuck with three crazy teens.
> 
> Time to investigate!
> 
> See you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 1 - Smashing Despair - Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunter and Duncan must investigate Popo's death before the start of the first class trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have Danganronpa V3. Jojo part 5 has been confirmed. Yesterday was a great day for me.

Investigation Time had started. Most of the students were unsure about what to do. Some left in groups and others went alone to look for clues.

Duncan turned on his e-handbook to look for a note taking feature. He found one called Truth Bullet that allowed him to take notes.

Monokuma told everyone to look at the Monokuma File which contained information about the deceased boy.

**Truth Bullet #1 Popo died during the night. He fell to his death.**

Duncan and Hunter started looking at the dead body which had once belonged to their friend. Hunter found a note in one of Popo's pockets. It was covered in blood and barely legible.

"Meet me?" Hunter read out loud, "Monokuma..."

**Truth Bullet #2 Popo had a note in his pocket. The note is covered in blood and the only legible words are "meet me" and "Monokuma".**

"We should probably look around Rocketpunch Market," Hunter suggested.

Duncan agreed and the two friends searched for anything of interest. They went to the back of the shop and found a stack of used ropes.

**Truth Bullet #3 A stack of used ropes was found at the back of Rocketpunch Market.**

"The killer must have used these to climb to the top," Duncan said, "I'll fly to the roof and see what I can find."

The duck flew to the roof and found more used ropes. Somebody had definitely climbed to the roof.

**Truth Bullet #4 Somebody used ropes to climb to the top of Rocketpunch Market.**

Meanwhile, Hunter investigated the interior of the shop. He noticed there was a whole empty shelf.

**Truth Bullet #5 There's a completely empty shelf in Rocketpunch Market. Someone must have taken all the items.**

* * *

The two friends met up and told each other their findings. Their next stop was Popo's cottage.

The duo asked Monokuma to let them enter the cottage and the bear opened it for them. The duo immediately started investigating as they had no time to waste.

The room was very messy. The bed sheets were undone, there were clothes everywhere and the pillows were on the floor. However, Hunter noticed that there didn't seem to be any signs of struggles.

**Truth Bullet #6 Popo's room is messy, but there are no signs of a struggle.**

Hunter and Duncan continued looking around the room and found a note on Popo's table. Hunter read it out loud for Duncan.

"Meet me at Rocketpunch Market. I'll be on the roof. Nana."

**Truth Bullet #7 There was a not in Popo's room from Nana asking him to meet her on Rocketpunch Market's roof.**

Duncan noticed the bed looked weird. He sat on it and noticed it was hard in some parts. Hunter lifted the mattress and found a metal bat.

**Truth Bullet #8 A metal bat was hidden under the mattress of Popo's bed.**

The duo was making their exit when they ran into Nana.

"C-can I tell you two something?"

"Sure," Hunter replied.

"I don't think Popo left by his own free will. He didn't show it but he would easily get scared. Last night after dinner, I saw him scared."

"Thanks for the information."

**Truth Bullet #9 Nana believes Popo didn't leave by his own accord. He was scared.**

"I think we should find Mario, he might be able to tell us some important information," Duncan suggested.

* * *

The duo returned to Rocketpunch Market and saw Mario analyzing Popo's body. The doctor explained that the boy had been hit on the back of his head with something and that he could have been knocked out before his death.

**Truth Bullet #10 Dr. Mario concluded that Popo was hit on the back of his head and possibly knocked out sometime before his death.**

The duo thanked the doctor and continued their search. Duncan flew to look for clues from above. He saw something strange in the bushes and flew towards them. He had found a big basket. The basket was big enough to carry a child in it.

**Truth Bullet #11 There was a basket in some bushes. The basket is big enough to carry a child.**

Duncan showed the basket to Hunter and they decided to check out Rocketpunch Market once again. The duo looked around and found some interesting evidence hidden behind surfboards. A broken bat that appeared to have been used before was lying next to a Monokuma plushy.

**Truth Bullet #12 There was a broken bat hidden in Rocketpunch Market. It seems to have been used before.**

The duo stared at the Monokuma plushy. They figured it might be important evidence, so Duncan added it to his list.

**Truth Bullet #13 A Monokuma plushy was hidden behind surfboards in Rocketpunch Market.**

"Upupu!"

"Monokuma!?" Hunter shouted.

"It's me! I am very angry right now!"

"Why?"

"It appears someone didn't take care of his Monokuma plushy. They weren't cheap to make!"

"Do you know who this belongs to?"

"No idea! I gave one to every guy got one. The girls got a Monomi plushy."

**Truth Bullet #14 Monokuma gave Monokuma plushies to all the boys while the girls got Monomi plushies.**

"If I knew you weren't going to take care of your plushies, I would have given you all Monomi ones! What a waste!" the bear complained as he walked out of the store, stomping his feet in frustration.

Duncan and Hunter burst into laughter once the bear had left. It was satisfying to see Monokuma frustrated for petty reasons.

* * *

The duo walked around the island unsure of where to investigate. They arrived in front of the hotel and decided to look around. Suddenly, Duncan had an idea.

He took Hunter to the base, more specifically the room where everyone had voted. He explained that they should figure out who had voted for what. Hunter thought it was a good idea and looked for the trash can with the papers they had used to vote.

After asking everyone and confirming who had voted for what. The duo concluded that the people who believed no one would kill were Hunter, Peach, Pichu, Popo, Nana and Bowser.

**Truth Bullet #15 Hunter, Peach, Pichu, Popo, Nana and Bowser believed no one would kill. The others believed the contrary.**

Hunter was disappointed by the results as he had believed Duncan would hold the same opinion as him. Nevertheless, he accepted that his friend might have been scared and that he had the right to have his own opinion.

Duncan wanted to draw a sketch to figure out how the killer might have used the basket to lift Popo up. However, he didn't have a pen. He asked Hunter if he had a pen. The dog didn't have one but he saw one on a table. He brought it to his friend in need.

Duncan was about to draw when he noticed something odd about the pen. Half the ink had been used. It didn't make sense, all the pens on the island were new and no one should have ever used one before their arrival. Did the killer use it to write the notes?

**Truth Bullet #16 A pen has had half of its ink used. All the pens on the island are new, someone must have written a lot with it.**

Hunter remarked that there hadn't been enough notes written to use much ink. Duncan theorized that the killer might have written multiple notes before deciding which ones to use.

"But where would the killer have hidden the other notes?" Duncan asked.

"Since they left their pen here, they could be somewhere in here… We should check all the trash cans."

The duo eventually ended up in the base's kitchen. They noticed something odd. A list had been taped to the wall indicating the amount of each type of kitchenware. However, the number of pans listed wasn't the same as the number of pans in the kitchen. One frying pan was missing.

**Truth Bullet #17 One of the base's frying pans is missing.**

The duo was even more surprised when they look at the trash. There were candles in it. A lot of candles. Enough to fill a shelf if packed into a big box.

**Truth Bullet #18 Someone took a lot of candles, lit them and threw them in the trash.**

Duncan and Hunter removed the candles and found something interesting at the bottom of the trash. Ashes and burnt papers had been hidden in it.

**Truth Bullet #19 Someone threw ashes and burnt papers in the trash.**

The duo tried reading what was written on the papers, but only one was legible.

**1\. Popo**

**2\. Nana**

**3\. Game & Watch**

**4\. Duncan**

**5\. Hunter**

**6\. Dr. Mario**

**7\. Peach**

**8\. Link**

**9\. Sheik**

**10\. Falco**

**11\. Pichu**

**12\. Marth**

**13\. Mewtwo**

**14\. Roy**

**15\. Ganondorf**

**16\. Bowser**

Hunter and Duncan were confused by the list. What was it supposed to mean? There didn't seem to be any logic or pattern to it.

**Truth Bullet #20 Someone wrote a list with all the student's names. The list's purpose is unknown.**

The duo had finished looking at the kitchen when they saw Sheik. They asked her if she had found anything of interest.

"I've found a lot of photos, but you can barely see anything on them. I think they were taken at night," she explained as she showed some dark pictures.

"They remind me of the photos we took," Hunter admitted.

"Do you think the killer also used the same type of camera as ours?" Duncan asked.

"Maybe, but I don't see why they would."

**Truth Bullet #21 Photos were taken using an instant print camera. They appear to have been taken at night since the photos are extremely dark,**

"I don't get it," Sheik started, "Why would Popo be killed? He must have opened the door or left his room and he knew not to do that, especially at night..."

The teenager left the building leaving Duncan and Hunter alone.

**Truth Bullet #22 Popo was aware that he shouldn't open the door or leave with less than three people at night.**

The duo exited the building. Duncan needed to think and jumped into the pool. He swam in circles as he thought about what could have happened. Hunter was looking at him weirdly, the duck wasn't bothered though.

"Hey, Duncan! Look at what's in the pool?" the dog shouted.

"Hm? Something's in the pool?"

"I don't know what it is. It's all the way at the bottom."

"Oh! That must be why you were staring!"

The duck swam to the bottom of the pool and lifted an object up. Hunter helped him get the object out of the pool. It was a frying pan.

**Truth Bullet #23 A frying pan was found at the bottom of the hotel's pool.**

The duck noticed that there were three more objects at the bottom of the pool. He brought all of them to the surface and noticed they were all Monokuma plushies.

**Truth Bullet #24 Three Monokuma plushies were thrown into the pool.**

"Why would someone do that?" Hunter asked.

"I know right! Talk about lack of respect," Monokuma complained appearing out of thin air.

Hunter and Duncan ignored the bear causing him to pout and disappear.

" **All right, you bastards! Time's up! Meet me at Jabberwock park! Upupu!"**

* * *

It took less than ten minutes for the students to arrive at the park. Monokuma, however, was taking his sweet time.

"When's he going to arrive?" Peach whined.

"Who care's about that? We barely got any time to investigate!" Link complained.

"Maybe if we promise to kill someone after the trial, Monokuma will give us more time," Marth joked.

"Crappy jokes… A common defense mechanism," Dr. Mario sighed.

"Defense mechanism?" Roy asked.

"Yes. When a person is in a bad situation or has witnessed something horrible, they'll find a way to deal with it. Some people will be in denial, others will regress, joke, project-"

"And despair!" Monokuma cheered as he appeared in front of everyone, "Everyone, follow me!"

* * *

Monokuma made everyone walk around the island until they arrived in front of some mountains with Monokuma faces carved into it. Duncan thought it reminded him of a landmark with presidents' faces on it, he wasn't sure what it was called though.

"Behold the beauty of the Monokuma rocks!"

"Aren't we supposed to have a trial?" Falco asked.

"Upupu!"

As the bear laughed, an escalator appeared out of one of the Monokuma's mouth. The bear made everyone go on it. Everyone climbed the stairs and entered a room with an elevator in it. The bear explained that the elevator led to the trial ground.

Tension filled the air as the situation became more serious. Nobody wanted to take the first step. Hunter gulped and entered the elevator before being followed by the rest. The elevator made noise as it went down.

"How do you think it will go?" Duncan asked.

"I'm not sure..." Hunter answered, "But I know we must find out who the killer is! We can't let anyone else die."

"Y-you're right! We'll find out the truth no matter what!"

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to reveal the trial ground.

The walls were blue and resembled ice. The room felt cold. It was as though Monokuma had designed it specifically for Popo.

Sixteen seats formed a circled in the center of the room. Monokuma was sitting on a throne while Monomi was tied up against an ice statue of Monokuma.

Everyone went to their respective seats. The only empty seat had a photo of Popo on it. Monokuma explained that it was to make Popo a part of the trial.

Fear and discomfort were filling the room. Everyone was feeling nervous and unsure about what would happen. You could almost say that despair was starting to consume the students.

But Hunter was refusing to give in. He would not let any innocent classmate of his die. He would make sure that the killer didn't go unpunished. He would not give into despair. He had to make sure his classmates got to see another day. He wanted to make sure they'd get to see the lovely sky again!

* * *

Deleted scene:

Marth: Where is everyone?

Roy: I don't know. We slept through the morning announcement.

Link: Nothing we can do about it.

Marth: Well, it's not as if they're investigating because someone died or anything.

Monokuma: You guys are late! A body has been discovered!

Roy: …

Link: …

Marth: … Why? Couldn't we at least get a chance to eat breakfast?

Monokuma: Upupu! You can eat or investigate. Which one will you choose? Either way, you'll be unhappy.

Roy: Let's just eat and investigate at the same time!

Link: Yeah, we can just eat some yogurt and fruits. It doesn't take any time to prepare.

Monokuma: … Why? Couldn't you at least let me see you despair?

Marth: No.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I finally got Danganronpa V3. I love it. I love the characters, the music and the art. The scrum debate is very fun (I suck at it though)! And Hangman's gambit isn't as bad as in the SDR2. The controls are a bit laggy sometimes, I think it has to do with my computer though. It seems to change depending on the settings.
> 
> Also, the first chapter is the best first chapter of all the games. I loved it, but the end made me very sad. I'm never going to see a certain song the same way as before...
> 
> Thanks to the sale, I have 20 euros left. Not sure whether to use them to buy more games or not. I guess I won't have much time to play next year because of all the tests and exams, I'll be having.
> 
> Next chapter should be out in around a week, maybe earlier or later. I'll be wasting a lot of time playing NDRV3. I'm playing one chapter per day. The trials are insanely long, I'm currently at the beginning of the second chapter.
> 
> It's fucking cold. Summer has started and I've been feeling nothing but cold the entire day. What the Hell is up with Scandinavian weather? It was never like this all the other years.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	4. Chapter 1 - Smashing Despair - Class Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class trial begins. Hunter and Duncan must find the culprit behind Popo's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JOJO PART 5 IS CONFIRMED!!!
> 
> I saw the first episode (I'm fluent in French) and it was great!

"Let's start with an explanation of the class trial," Monokuma started, "During the trial you will present arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished and you will continue living your normal life here. But if you pick wrong, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will be allowed to graduate."

"You can't just copy and paste!" Monomi screamed as everyone ignored her.

"I think we should start with why Popo wasn't in his room," Sheik suggested.

"Maybe he was kidnapped?" Nana said.

"But how would the killer enter his room?" Pichu asked.

"The killer could have knocked on the door or maybe Popo went out," Ganondorf shrugged.

Hunter knew exactly what was wrong with that statement and didn't hesitate to refute it.

"No, that's wrong! Popo knew that he wasn't supposed to open his door or go out at night."

"So, how exactly did he get killed? Did the killer come in from the window?"

"I'm not sure. Nana, do you know what Popo did last night after dinner?"

"Yeah," Nana replied, "He returned to his cottage immediately after dinner. I saw him enter it, so if he was taken..."

"Just because Popo knew he wasn't supposed to open his door or go out doesn't mean he couldn't do it. Maybe the killer was someone he trusted enough to open the door," Roy explained, "If it was someone he saw as incapable of killing, he could have easily opened the door for them. It could have also been someone that scared him."

"I think it's the latter… Popo was really scared last night… I'm not sure who would scare him the most though..."

"Maybe he saw Monokuma!" Peach gasped, "It could have been Monokuma who knocked and killed Popo!"

"Upupu! I'll have you know that I only execute students. I don't murder them..."

Duncan was onto something. He had seen multiple Monokumas…

"I think the killer knocked on Popo's door and used a Monokuma plushy to scare Popo. The killer must have taken advantage of the fact that Popo was still just a kid."

"Where did the killer get a Monokuma plushy?" Peach asked.

"Monokuma gave Monokuma plushies to all the boys. However, some people threw theirs away."

"Of course, who'd keep a lame plushy? I just threw mine away!" Bowser roared.

"Where did you throw it?"

"Since I didn't want it anywhere near me, I threw it in the pool. There were three other plushies in it."

"That's weird… When I swam in the pool, there were only three."

"That means the killer must have taken one," Hunter noticed, "That would explain the plushy in Rocketpunch Market."

"But why would the killer leave it in Rocketpunch Market?" Marth asked, "Wouldn't doing that make it obvious that the killer used one?"

"Maybe it's part of the killer's plan," Roy answered, "We should figure out what the killer did after Popo opened the door."

Hunter tried remembering what Dr. Mario had told him about Popo's body.

"If I remember correctly, Dr. Mario said Popo had been hit with a blunt object."

"That's right. When I examined his body, I found a big bruise on the back of his head."

"Duncan and I found multiple objects that could have been used. Do you remember them all, Duncan?"

"Yeah," the duck nodded, "There was a bat under Popo's mattress, a broken bat in Rocketpunch Market and a frying pan in the pool."

"The killer must have used the broken bat to knock out Popo!" Nana yelled.

"But isn't the frying pan more suspicious?" Hunter replied.

"The killer is tricking us. Why else would the bat be broken?"

"We don't know if the killer even used the bat. It could have been someone else."

"We don't know if they used the pan either! We don't know if the killer ever went to the kitchen"

"Actually, I think there's evidence that proves the killer could have used it. We know the pan belonged to the base's kitchen. There was a list on the kitchen's wall stating a specific amount of pans."

"However," Duncan continued, "One pan was missing. There's also other evidence that proves someone went there. There were ashes and burnt papers in the kitchen's trash."

"The killer must have burnt something important," Roy concluded, "Maybe it was something that could reveal their identity."

"What if they're giving us a hint?" Ganondorf suggested, "Think about it, why would the killer burn the papers instead of throwing them in the pool or something?"

"Maybe the were stressed or they wanted to make sure someone found the papers?"

"No, that's not it. I think the killer just enjoyed burning things. Roy, I think you're the killer."

"Ganondorf," Link glared, "I will have you know that Roy is a professional when it comes to burning stuff. He graduated top of his class at Burning Academy, even beating my cousin who scared a girl with fire."

"What are you getting at?"

"Roy would never leave any ashes. When he burns something, he makes sure even the ashes burn."

That conversation might have seemed pointless to most, but it allowed Duncan to have a realization.

"I don't think Roy could be the killer."

"Why not?" Ganondorf grunted.

"The day before Popo's death, he looked like crap. As though he hadn't slept the night before. He was in no condition to come up with a plan to kill someone. Same can be said about Marth and Link."

"I-I..." Hunter stuttered, "I think the killer might be someone who said they thought no one would die."

"But why?" Peach asked in shock.

"I-it's a hunch… The killer seemed to have planned a lot..."

"If I remember correctly…" Duncan frowned, "Peach, Hunter, Bowser, Pichu, Popo and Nana believed no one would kill. It's possible one of them lied to avoid suspicion."

"But there's no way to know who lied..."

"Maybe we'll figure out more if we continue talking about what happened in the kitchen."

"We should talk about what the killer was trying to achieve."

"Like Roy said, the killer was probably trying to hide something important. Did you guys find anything else in the kitchen," Marth asked.

"Yeah! There were candles. I think the killer used them to burn the papers. But that's not the most interesting discovery. We found a list of all the students, but there didn't seem to be any logic to it."

Hunter showed the list to everyone. The students started theorizing about what it could mean.

"Why is Popo at the top while I'm at the bottom?" Bowser complained.

"I think we should talk about why Popo who's at the top is dead," Mewtwo suggested, "Maybe it's a hit list."

"I think I've got it!" Roy smiled, "The list goes from the easiest to kill to the hardest to kill. The top 5 are all pretty small and defenseless. The bottom five are either big, have combat knowledge or are really smart."

"Of course, I am all three." Mewtwo smirked, "That would also explain why Pichu is among the bottom 8. If the killer were to use a bat or a pan, they'd electrocute themselves."

"But why would Popo be the easiest to kill?" Ganondorf asked.

"Maybe the killer knew something we don't. Nana was close with him."

"Um… Well..." the little girl mumbled, "He was easily scared… But maybe… Well… He said he didn't believe anyone would kill. He really believed in everyone, especially those who didn't think anyone would kill. I think the killer heard the conversation we had with Peach, Hunter, Sheik, Pichu and Hunter after the meeting. T-that means one of them is the killer!"

"And is there any reason to believe you're not the killer?"

"I'd never kill Popo! He's my friend!"

Hunter thought back to what Nana had said earlier. There was a big contradiction.

"Nana, if Popo believed in everyone… Why would he be really scared?"

"W-what? Well… I-it w-was a trick! I wanted to see if the killer would react weirdly or something..."

"But what about your note?"

"Note? What note?"

"In Popo's room."

"I never saw a note in his room. Please believe me!"

"I do, I think the killer tried to frame you."

"B-but how?"

"By leaving a note with your name on it, the killer would make sure that you were the prime suspect," Roy explained, "The killer might have written multiple notes which would explain their list."

"You're right," Duncan agreed, "It also explains why one of the pens had much less ink than the others. The killer must have rewritten a lot to get the "perfect" note."

"Aren't you all forgetting the note in Popo's pocket?" Bowser asked.

"I think it was added after his death," Mario sighed, "When I checked his body, something important was missing from his pockets."

Hunter knew exactly what the doctor was talking about. All he had found was the note. But Popo should have also been carrying something else.

"His keys and e-handbook!"

"Exactly," Mario smiled, "I think the killer wrote the notes after killing Popo. Plus, the note was covered in blood. Way too much for a note that would be protected inside a pocket."

"So, we've got a timeline now," Duncan quacked, "The killer prepared their murder plan, they executed it and then they covered up the evidence."

"In that case, I think we should talk about how the killer managed to kill Popo."

"I think they must have used the basket. It's big enough to carry Popo."

"The killer must have attached the ropes to the basket!" Peach grinned, "It would be like an elevator!"

"But you need a pulley for an elevator," Pichu told the princess, "There wasn't even anything the killer could have used to make sure the ropes didn't fall."

Hunter was sure there was something that could be used to keep the ropes in place.

"The broken baseball bat. I think the killer attached the ropes to the baseball bat before throwing or taking it to the top of Rocketpunch Market."

"I think we can rule out Pichu and Duncan as suspects," Marth suggested, "They wouldn't be able to pull Popo up. I also think we can rule out Bowser, he'd be way too heavy and would break the ropes."

"I-I'm h-heavy?" the koopa stuttered in the verge of tears.

"Since when do you care about your weight?"

"We don't have time for your jokes!" Ganondorf yelled, "We need to find a suspect. No one has an alibi for nighttime."

"Maybe the killer is the person that took the pictures," Game & Watch theorized.

"But what would they gain by doing that?" Hunter asked.

"I'm not sure. But if someone else was outside at nighttime, they would have seen the killer. All though it is possible I'm wrong. The photos could have been taken on a different day."

"I don't think so. What would they be doing in the base? We would have seen them during our meeting yesterday."

"We're not getting any closer to finding the killer!" Nana cried, "At this point. it could still be anyone that we haven't ruled out!"

"Maybe we could separate everyone left into groups. The people who met up with Popo before his death and the rest." Sheik suggested.

"The killer has to be someone who met up with Popo! They exploited his weaknesses!"

"No way! I don't think any of us would ever kill!" Pichu shouted.

The students argued as Monokuma laughed. The laughter made the students quiet. The bear explained that since no one could agree, they'd have a debate scrum. Monokuma ordered those who thought the killer had met up with Popo to go the right side of the room and the others to the left.

Hunter, Duncan, Nana, Roy, Marth, Mewtwo and Ganondorf went to the right while Pichu, Bowser, Falco, Sheik, Link, Peach, Dr. Mario and Mr. Game & Watch went to the left.

"Start the debate, Minichu! Was the killer among the ones who met up with Popo?" the bear ordered.

"Minichu?" Pichu answered.

The pichu was ignored. Annoyed, Pichu began the debate.

"Why would any of us kill? Besides Sheik, we all believed no one would kill."

"Anyone could have lied with their vote," Hunter answered.

"Nothing suggests that anyone who met up with Popo might have killed," Bowser roared.

"On the contrary, I think the use of the Monokuma plushy proves the killer was aware of Popo knowing to not open the door," Duncan quacked.

"For all we know, the killer knocked Popo out after dinner and used the Monokuma as a distraction," Falco suggested.

"That's not possible. I saw Popo go back to his cottage. No one was there with him," Nana refuted.

"He could have left at night after receiving a note," Sheik said.

"We've already concluded that the notes were written after Popo's death," Roy reminded Sheik.

"If the killer had met up with Popo, wouldn't they have known a note wouldn't make him go out?" Link asked.

"That's exactly why the killer is among the ones who met up with Popo, they knew using notes would drive suspicion away," Marth answered.

"But maybe they're doing some strange thing. By making it seem like they met up with Popo when they didn't?" Peach hypothesized.

"And how would they know about the meeting with Popo if they never attended it?" Mewtwo replied unimpressed with the princess' theory.

"There's no evidence suggesting the killer didn't eavesdrop when Popo met up with the others," Dr. Mario remembered.

"Somebody would have noticed if someone stayed behind. Plus, how'd you expect the killer to hear clearly through the walls?" Ganondorf smirked.

"I-I don't think any of the people who met up with Popo would have the capacity to carry out the murder," Mr. Game & Watch stuttered.

Hunter knew what Game & Watch said was not true.

"That's wrong!" Hunter barked, "Besides Pichu and Duncan, everyone would be able to carry Popo!"

"So that leaves Hunter, Sheik, Peach and Nana as suspects," Dr. Mario sighed.

"W-we have no way of knowing who the culprit is!" Nana cried out once again.

"Actually, I think we can narrow it down somehow."

Hunter thought about it for a while before answering.

"The Monokumas and the photos. I think that's what we need to figure out."

"How is that going to help?" Game & Watch asked.

"If we figure out their purpose, we'll be able to find out who killed Popo!"

"You sound really sure about this," Roy noted, "Do you have an idea on how they can help us?"

"Yeah, I do. The photos must have a specific purpose. If we look at them again with more light, we might be able to figure out something."

Hunter asked Monokuma to show everyone the photos. Monokuma forced Monomi to bring a screen and show the photos. Monomi brightened the screen and the pictures suddenly became clearer.

"The photo's locations… They're the same as the photos we took yesterday," Hunter gulped.

"Did the killer take our photos or something? What even is the point of this?" Duncan quacked.

"You didn't leave the photos at the house. Did you?"

"..."

"Man, these photos are useless," Bowser complained, "I thought you were actually on to something."

"We can still figure something out with the Monokumas," Mewtwo reassured the koopa.

"We know at least four guys threw their plushies in the pool, one of them being Bowser," Roy reminded everyone, "I guess we can only ask who still has theirs and hope no one lies. I kept mine."

"And you ruined it!" Monokuma shouted, "What do you guys have against me? The girls treat their Monomi plushies with respect. How do you even come up with a crazy idea like using a plushy of me as target practice?"

"I actually use mine as target practice too," Marth admitted.

"I was doing the same until I accidentally slipped and dropped him in the pool," Link grinned, "I didn't get him back because I don't swim without blue clothes."

"I threw mine in the pool too," Ganondorf revealed, "The plushy pissed me off."

"Mine's still in my room," Hunter said.

"So is mine!" Pichu smiled.

"And mine," Mario added.

"I chopped mine into tiny pieces and threw it in the restaurant's trash can," Game & Watch revealed as Monokuma cried.

"I wish I could have come up with that idea," Mewtwo sighed, "I just keep mine locked inside a closet."

"I gave mine to the cow," Falco told everyone.

"Mine's… Still in my room," Duncan muttered.

"I guess we can assume that Popo's plushy ended up in the pool," Hunter concluded.

"Hey, why's Duncan suddenly so quiet? Did he figure out something bad? Is he sick?" Pichu asked worried about his friend.

"You've figured it out. Right, Duncan?"

"… N-no… I-I'm just stressed out because we aren't getting anywhere..."

"I understand how you feel," Peach attempted to comfort the duck, "We're all stressed out. If we don't find the true killer, we'll all die."

"Peach is right. But we can't let despair and stress get to us. I'll make sure you all survive this trial!" Hunter reassured his friend.

The room was silent for a minute. It was as though no one had any more ideas. A perfect set up for despair to spread, until someone broke the silence.

"Has everyone seriously run out of ideas?" Marth asked, "Our lives are on the line. Just say anything as stupid as it may be. We can't let Monokuma kill us all."

"I think the problem is we don't have much evidence to back up our ideas," Roy admitted, "I kinda have one but the killer could easily turn everything into their favor."

"Roy's got a point. It's too risky to reveal any of our ideas. I don't want the killer twisting everything I say," Mewtwo added.

"As long as Duncan refuses to tell us why he's really stressed out, we won't have anything else to talk about," Marth complained.

"What do you mean why he's really stressed out?" Nana asked.

"He's obviously lying… He knows something we don't. Something that proves who the killer is. He's figured it out and I'm guessing that Roy and Mewtwo have too."

"Y-you're saying that Duncan is lying?" Peach gasped.

"Yes, he's lying. His reason is the same as Mewtwo and Roy's actual reason for refusing to tell us who they think the killer is."

"I… I-I'm not lying," Duncan stuttered.

"I already told you, Marth. I don't want the killer to mess everything up," Roy argued.

"There's not enough evidence to back up my ideas, I am not risking our lives," Mewtwo glared.

The four kept talking over each other. It was hard to hear everything, but Hunter had to try his best.

"B-believe when I say I'm not lying..."

"If I could, I'd tell you all who the killer may be."

"I'm sorry, but I can't take the risk."

"We're never going to find the killer if you guys say nothing."

"I… I don't know who it is..."

"Fine, but tell us your idea first."

"But what if it's the same as ours? The killer could twist everything."

"M-my idea? Fine, but give me a hint to yours."

"..."

"It's-"

"Can you guys just say something!?"

"Peach, Roy was about to give us a hint!"

"It's the Monokumas! I bet it's the Monokumas! He totally thinks it's the Monokumas!"

"No, that's not it!" Hunter yelled loud enough to stop everyone from talking before lowering his voice, "It's the photos, right?"

"Y-you've also figured it out?" Roy asked in confusion.

"Tell us if that's the case," Marth ordered, "It's our only hope left."

"I figured it a while ago…" Hunter admitted, "But I wasn't sure when was the right time to tell you. You did too, right Duncan?"

"..."

* * *

_This is it for me… I'm sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you, Duncan. I believe in you, I know you can do it. You might think you're a pessimist, but I know you'll be the one to bring hope when everyone falls into despair. I know this is selfish of me, but I want you to get everyone out. Succeed where I failed. I'm placing all my hopes on you, my friend. Don't ever lose hope._

* * *

_Why? Why did it have to end like this? There's no way I can get through this alone… I don't think I'll ever make it out… Hunter, why did you have to do this? You care for everyone so much… So, why do you insist on me being the one to save everyone? I don't like this at all… But I can't let anyone's life be in vain. I can't promise you what will happen in the future, but I can at least promise you that everyone else will survive this trial…_

* * *

"It's Hunter… Hunter killed Popo," Duncan revealed in the verge of tears.

"What are you talking about?" Nana asked, "Hunter's been helping us way too much to be the killer."

"What she said," Hunter said, "I've been helping too much to be the killer. It would put me at a huge disadvantage to help you this much."

"But the photos," Duncan started.

"We've already concluded they were useless."

"No, they're not!"

"The real clue is definitely hidden within the Monokumas."

"There's-"

"Anyone could have taken the photos. They're not linked to the murder in any way. They're just a random coincidence."

"No, that's wrong!" the duck shouted, "I kept the photos. No one else knew all the locations. No one, except you. The photos, they were your message! Your message to guarantee us solving this case!"

"Guarantee us solving the case?" Pichu asked, "They almost messed up the case!"

"No, they actually helped us much more," Roy explained, "Once we saw the photos, Duncan's reaction was what led me to conclude Hunter was the killer."

"But why did you keep quiet?"

"It was for Duncan's sake," Marth answered, "If it wasn't him who revealed the truth, he'd probably be in despair. I also doubt any of you would believe Roy or Mewtwo without any concrete evidence. Then again, I don't think anyone wanted to reveal the truth."

"But what was Hunter's motive?" Dr. Mario asked.

"It was the time limit," Link replied, "Hunter told Duncan he wanted to make sure everyone got out. If no one had been killed, we'd all be dead right now..."

"B-but why Popo?" Nana sobbed.

"I'm guessing it's because he was the easiest target," Falco sighed.

"Now that we've found the killer, what do we do?" Ganondorf grunted.

"It's now recap time! Upupupu!"

"But they haven't solved all the mysteries!"

"Oh, shut up, Monomi!"

"It's okay..." Hunter started, "I'll explain everything to you."

Everyone looked at the dog before he began his explanation.

"Everything started with the motive announcement. When I heard that everyone would die if no one was killed, I knew I couldn't sit still. When Peach suggested we speak about the motive at the base, I felt relieved. However, after seeing the results, I didn't know what would happen. Logic told me that the ones who thought someone might die wouldn't be killers. But I wanted to believe in the people who believed no one would die.

That's why, at night, I decided to act. I went to the base and created a list. It went from who I thought would be the easiest to kill to whom would be the hardest. I ended up choosing Popo as the victim. I planned everything and headed to Rocketpunch Market.

I took some ropes, a basket and two baseball bats. I attached the ropes to the bat and the basket to create a makeshift elevator. After thirty minutes of testing, I managed to find something that worked.

I returned to the base to get the pan. I went to Popo's cottage and knocked on his door while hiding behind Monokuma. He opened the door and I quickly managed to hit him behind the head. He was knocked out immediately. I left my Monokuma and the pan in Popo's room before dragging Popo to Rocketpunch Market.

Once I arrived, I placed Popo in the basket and lifted him up to the roof. I then climbed thanks to the rope. I almost fell because the bat broke. I took Popo's keys and e-handbook before pushing him off the roof.

I then returned to the base to write fake notes. It took me a while to write the ones I wanted. Since I didn't know how to use the stove, I returned to Rocketpunch Market to get candles and matches. I burned all the notes I didn't need. I purposely left the list untouched to give you guys a hint.

Afterwards, I took the remaining bat and hid it under Popo's mattress to make it seem like that had been the weapon I had used to knock him out. I left one of the notes on Popo's desk to trick you guys.

I went to the pool to get rid of the pan. I noticed there were fours objects in the pool, so I swam in after throwing the pan. I noticed it was a Monokuma plushy. I took it to my room to trick confuse you.

After that, I took my Monokuma and one note and went to Rocketpunch. I hid the note in Popo's pocket and my Monokuma behind some surfboards. I also hid the broken bat in Rocketpunch. I hid the basket in some bushes.

There was only one thing left to do. I took my instant-print camera and took photos that Duncan would recognize. It was my final clue in case no one could solve the crime. I knew Duncan would be able to solve it thanks to the photos.

Yes… I, Hunter Jäger the Ultimate Hunter, killed Popo."

"N-no way..." Nana gasped.

"Upupupu! It's time to vote!"

All the students cast their vote. Some were more confident than others. However, Duncan was feeling very conflicted. He couldn't bring himself to vote for his friend. Hunter glanced at his friend and smiled to reassure the duck that everything would be okay.

"Upupu! You guys are right! Indeed, Hunter is Popo's cruel killer."

"If you hadn't-"

"Shut up, Monomi!"

"I… I don't expect you guys to forgive me," Hunter revealed, "I know what I did was wrong. No one should have to deal with such despair, especially someone as young as Nana..."

"H-Hunter..." Nana cried.

"Duncan, it's all up to you now."

"I-I don't think I'll be able to get everyone out. I'm so pessimistic… I'm a coward..." the duck sobbed, "There's no way I could lead everyone down the right path like you. So many other people are better suited at leading, solving murders, giving people hope..."

"Duncan, you might be the Ultimate Assistant… But I'm promoting you… You're going to be more than a mere assistant to everyone. I believe in you."

"H-Hunter!" Duncan yelled as he burst into tears.

"It's your story now. Don't ever give up hope!"

"Upupu! If I had a heart I'd cry right now. But it's now… PUNISHMENT TIME!"

"Noooo!" Duncan screamed.

* * *

Hunter is standing in the middle of the trial ground. A chain reaches him and attaches itself to his neck. The chain lifts him up to the air. Hunter reaches out to Duncan, Duncan tries to grab Hunter's paw but Hunter is lifted up too quickly. All Duncan can do is cry as his friend is taken away.

**DOG HUNT**

Hunter is taken to a beach filled with Monokumas. The Monokumas are dressed like ducks and are walking around.

Suddenly, a Monokuma dressed like a cowboy appears. It is holding a gun and starts shooting at the other Monokumas. Hunter tries to dodge the bullets, but they keep coming faster and faster and the chain hinders his movement.

He is eventually hit by one and notices the bullets are actually rocks. The rocks hit him more and more and Hunter starts to bleed. Hunter starts getting dizzier and dizzier as he loses more blood.

The bullets stop once he can't stand anymore. The dog looks around and sees all his fellow students. Duncan stretches out his wing to help Hunter up. Hunter accepts the wing full of hope but notices something off. He closes his eyes and opens them again to see that his friends have been replaced by Monokumas. The Monokumas throw him in the air and shoot at him with rocks. Hunter cries out in pain as he falls back on to the sand. More Monokumas appear and Hunter notices that the chain he was once attached to has turned into a leash.

The Monokumas grab the leash and pull the dog towards the water. Hunter tries to run but the Monokumas are too strong. As he is dragged into the water, he sees his real friends with horror on their faces.

The water turns red as Hunter drowns. His last memory being his classmates staring at him with disgust, fear and despair.

* * *

Duncan couldn't stop crying. His best friend was dead. He felt lost, alone and hopeless. Nana walked towards him to cheer him up.

"Duncan… We both lost our best friend today… I've never felt worse… I… I know they wouldn't want us to be crying right now… But… I think… I think..." Nana stuttered before bursting into tears.

The two cried. No one interfered, they all knew the two needed some time to cry.

* * *

Mr. Game & Watch made a delicious dinner to cheer everyone up but the atmosphere remained gloomy. Nana and Duncan didn't go to the restaurant for dinner, preferring to stay in their rooms alone.

"This is so depressing..." Peach frowned.

"It's all stupid Monokuma's fault!" Pichu cried.

"He's really good at this despair thing," Link reluctantly admitted, "We're all depressed. Even Ganondorf, Mewtwo and Bowser seem down..."

"I never imagined something this bad would happen," Roy sighed, "I thought the worse that could happen at Hope's Peak was a huge inferiority complex all year long… Boy, how I was wrong..."

"..."

"Marth, are you all right?"

"Of course, I'm not! We can't continue being depressed like this."

"You know… It's okay to cry. If you really want to, just do it. I won't laugh at you."

"I-I don't want to cry… We're going to go cheer up Duncan and Nana."

"You really think you can cheer them up?" Ganondorf asked, "You'll probably make everything worse for them."

"Don't listen to him, Marth," Falco snapped, "We can't just sit on our asses doing nothing but cry. If we do that, Monokuma wins. We are going to be the ones to make Monokuma despair, not the other way round!"

"What do you guys suggest we do?" Bowser asked.

"I saw Duncan throw out some photos earlier," Dr. Mario revealed.

"I think I've got an idea," Mewtwo smiled.

* * *

Duncan was sitting alone on his bed. His tears had stopped but the pain refused to. This pain was unlike any he had ever experienced. He couldn't find any words to describe it besides despair. He didn't feel like living anymore.

He was about to go sleep when he heard the doorbell. He opened the door and saw all of his classmates, even Nana. They told him to come with to the base.

When Duncan entered the meeting room at the base, he was met with a surprising sight.

The photos he had thrown out earlier had been stuck together to form a collage on the wall. The photos were accompanied with words of encouragement such as "Hope", "Don't give up!", "You can do it!". At the top of the wall, he could read the line "Don't ever give up hope!".

Duncan felt tears streaming down his face. His tears weren't tears of sadness, but instead tears of joy. He couldn't believe everyone would work together to help him.

Duncan felt a small spark of hope light up in his heart.

"T-thank you so much..." he cried, "We… We can't give up! It might be hard… But, we have to try. We can't lose to despair. I won't forget everyone that dies… I want to… I want to live! I want to live with all of you at my side! So until we get out… We can't let despair and death stop us!"

* * *

Deleted:

Mewtwo: Of course, I am all three.

Roy: That's a pretty arrogant statement. I'm lower on the list than you!

Marth: That's because you have a fire sword. Not everyone has them.

Roy: Dad has one. Not everyone has a dragon-slaying sword like you.

Marth: Roy, you have a dragon-slaying sword.

Roy: Touché.

Mewtwo: I'm still better than you two. The list is wrong. The correct order from weakest to strongest is everyone except me, then me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed…
> 
> I actually started feeling really sad towards the end of the trial… I've never felt this sad while writing a fanfic. I almost didn't want to write a deleted scene because of it. I ended up swapping some future victims and killers to make the story sadder... Part of me was wondering if this was the correct choice. I hope it was, only time will tell.
> 
> Ironically, I felt as though I was making the chapter too funny at the beginning… Mewtwo's "Of course, I'm all three" is my favorite line.
> 
> On a lighter note, I finished playing NDRV3 and Path of Radiance. Love both games. Oma's my favorite character. I also love Shuichi, Kaito, Kaede, Maki, Keebo and Miu. As for Path of Radiance, I like Ike… I really really like Ike. I freaking love him. He's my favorite FE character (besides my boy Roy). I also love Soren, Titania, Ranulf, Tibarn, Reyson, Oscar, Rolf, Oliver and pretty much everyone. I was really disappointed that Elincia sucked as a unit, she's really good in FEH though. All my healers died, so I only had Ike's waifu, Soren, left. Elincia managed to be of some use in the final chapter but my first game over was because of her. I think I'm the only one who actually ships her with Geoffrey. Their A support was so cute, it's so obvious they love each other. As you can tell, I am Fire Emblem trash.
> 
> Next chapter should be out in around a week. I'll be going on vacation from July 17th to August 12th. So there won't be any chapters during that time period.
> 
> You guys can choose five characters for Duncan to hang out with and one character for him to prank.
> 
> See you guys next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5 - Colada Crime - Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new island has been unlocked. Duncan and friends must explore it. There's some bonding, another prank and a party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There probably won't be any chapter from July 17th to August 13th.
> 
> These chapters keep getting longer...

Duncan woke up early. The duck decided to go flying around the island. He passed next to Rocketpunch Market and saw that Popo's body wasn't there anymore. Everything had been cleaned up, it was as though nothing had ever happened.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan went to the restaurant to get breakfast. Game & Watch had made waffles for everyone.

Duncan sat with Nana and Pichu until Monokuma took a seat beside him.

"I can't believe someone took out one of my Monobeasts!" the bear complained.

"Monobeast?" Nana asked.

"The robot! Geez, kids these days have no respect! I'm leaving, fuck you all!"

The bear left as Monomi appeared. She explained that she had spent the night fighting against a Monobeast and destroyed it. This meant the students could explore a new island.

"Let's go explore this new island!" Pichu cheered.

* * *

The students headed to the gate of the second island. Duncan noticed a different aura radiating from the island. As he walked on the bride leading to the island, he saw a weird ruin. The ruin consisted of a fairly modern looking building covered in roots and moss.

Duncan approached the entrance. There's was a panel where a code needed to be inputted. A machine gun was hanging above. Did that make the ruin off limits?

Duncan also noticed something written but he was unable to read it.

未来

It appeared to be in a foreign language. He needed someone that could read it. Luck seemed to be on his side as he saw Marth and Roy arrive in the area.

"Hey, do you know anyone that can read what's written on the ruin?" Duncan asked.

"It says mirai," Marth answered, "It means future in Japanese."

"Just like our hotel," Roy added, "Ironically, this building doesn't look futuristic at all."

Duncan thanked them and left the area. He walked towards a big building. He saw Falco alone in front of it.

"Do you know what building this is, Falco?"

"It's a library. Mewtwo seems to love it. He's inside."

The two birds entered the library. Mewtwo was looking at books. Duncan decided to not disturb him. He was more interested in the statues that were broken on the floor. He stared at the broken statues and found Pichu behind one.

"They were like this when I came in!" the pokemon cried.

"I wasn't going to accuse you or anything..." Duncan sighed.

"Don't they remind you of Monomi?" Falco asked.

"Yeah, now that I think about it..."

"Upupu! I'm the one who broke them! I still need to bring in my special Monokuma statues. I hope you guys are as excited as I am."

"No one cares about your statues Monokuma! The only person who's ever going to come here is Mewtwo and he's more interested in the books!" Falco yelled.

When the bear left, Mewtwo made his way towards his three classmates. He showed them a brochure of the island.

"This brochure is quite interesting. It says that there's supposed to be a big statue in the lobby, but the only big statue we saw was in the park. It also doesn't mention anything about the Monokuma rocks."

"Maybe it's an old brochure," Falco suggested, "Or Monokuma could have edited to freak us out. Seems like the kind of thing he'd do. He did mess up all the planes at the airport."

"That's not the only weird thing. This island supposedly has a lot of tourists. But we're the only ones here. I don't think Hope's Peak would be capable of reserving the island."

"We'll have to discuss this later with everyone. Something fishy's going on here."

The four looked around the library to find anything else that could be interesting, but the huge amount of books tired them.

Duncan left after a while when he noticed they weren't getting anywhere.

* * *

The next building to visit was a pharmacy. Duncan saw a lot of medicines that he didn't recognize. They were neatly organized on shelves. The design of the interior was surprisingly modern for a pharmacy. All though it did lack a pharmacy "feel".

He could see Dr. Mario studying the shelves. Duncan couldn't have expected the doctor to not be attracted to the pharmacy.

"This place is quite well equipped," Mario remarked, "I think I'll spend a lot of time in here."

"Why?"

"I want to write a list of all the medicines available and what their purpose is. I won't always be here to help."

"You won't always be here!?" Peach shouted as she entered the pharmacy.

"Um… What if I'm asleep or in the toilet?"

"I guess that would make sense. How kind of you to think about everyone!"

Dr. Mario appeared to be getting more awkward by the second. Duncan was unsure of what to do and left the building.

* * *

The building next to the pharmacy was a diner. It appeared to be quite small and was situated next to a parking. Duncan didn't understand why there was a parking if there weren't any cars. Maybe Monokuma had gotten rid of all the cars or something?

Duncan entered the diner and was reminded of another restaurant he had gone to before,  _Johnny Rockets_  or something. Duncan couldn't remember the name.

The floor was checkered and the seats were red. It looked like a stereotypical American diner. It even had a functioning jukebox.

Nana was playing with the jukebox. She was about to choose a song called  _What's New Pussycat?_  before being stopped by Mr. Game & Watch who insisted it was a terrible idea.

Duncan didn't find anything of interest besides some burgers. He wasn't sure who was cooking them but they tasted nice. He wondered if Game & Watch could make better ones.

* * *

Duncan returned to the parking and noticed a tunnel. There was a panel next to it with "Chandler Beach" written on it. He went in and found himself on a private beach.

There was a small house in the middle of the beach. It faced the bright blue sea. The sand was a beautiful shade of light yellow. Parasols and beach lounge chairs were spread around the beach.

Duncan could see Ganondorf and Bowser building sand castles. Duncan never thought he'd ever see those two playing in the sand. He was confused until he saw the two jump on their castles and destroy them.

When Duncan entered the beach house, he was shocked at the luxury of the interior. The house didn't look that special from the outside but the inside was a completely different story.

It looked like the interior of a European palace. The tiles, the marbles walls, the chandelier, the furniture… Everything looked so luxurious, it made Duncan wonder if the royalty in his class would see the house as something normal.

"Duncan? Duunncaan? Earth to Duncan? If you don't answer, I'll ask Roy to roast you. Hello?"

Duncan snapped out of his imagination and turned around to see Link.

"Are you really that amazed by this house?"

"Um… I guess," Duncan replied, "I've never been in such a luxurious beach house."

"Me neither. I've never been in a luxurious place. This place is pretty cool, look at all the free drinks."

Duncan noticed a fridge filled with many drinks. He recognized some of the famous ones such as coke and ice tea, but the rest seemed foreign. The bright colors of the drinks told him they looked unhealthy. Maybe he should ask Dr. Mario or Game & Watch about the drinks.

The duck continued examining the house and saw a door. He opened it and found a toilet with a shower. A small window was at the top of one of the walls. Duncan flew towards it and saw Sheik trying to enter.

She insisted that she wanted to figure out how easy it would be to enter the house from the window so that she could add traps to protect anyone from being spied on. Duncan didn't see Sheik as the kind of girl to peek on others taking showers, so he left her to her antics.

* * *

Once everyone was done investigating the island, everyone decided to eat burgers at the diner and discuss their findings. Everyone agreed that the ruins were weird. The building looked really old and worn out, but the entrance was modern. Some speculated that the person controlling Monokuma and Monomi was hiding inside the ruins.

"Do you think that the word future is related to whoever is controlling Monokuma?" Pichu asked, "Maybe they're a time traveler from the future? We need someone to help us figure this out!"

"Let's ask Monokuma. He's totally willing to help us," Link answered sarcastically.

"I know nothing of that building!" Monokuma screamed as he appeared from under a table, "It was there before I came here!"

"You also know nothing!" Monomi gasped as she also appeared from under a table.

The bear seemed offended and punched Monomi.

"Upupu! This building must be the work of an enemy stand! I bet it's the World Destroyer's stand!"

"What are you talking about?" Duncan quacked.

"The World Destroyers are heroes who destroyed the world! They're total jerks, I hate them! They brought you here."

"Are they on your side?"

"Upupu! Who knows? One of them did manage to sneak in here. They might be alive, dead or hiding somewhere. Heck, I might even be lying. That's up to you to find out!"

The bear punched Monomi before leaving. Monomi cried and went after him. The students were left in confusion. Monokuma had just made everything even weirder than before.

* * *

After the meeting, Duncan returned to his room. He was thinking about what to do when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and saw Nana.

The little girl asked him if he wanted to go on a walk around the islands with her. The duck agreed and the two friends went for a walk.

The duo stopped at Jabberwock Park for a break. They sat on a bench and enjoyed the scenery. Nana asked Duncan how he was dealing with his loss and Duncan was unsure on how to respond.

"I'm not sure… I don't think I'll be able to ever get completely over Hunter's death."

"I see what you mean. Popo and I were such good friends. We'd go climbing together all the time. When I learned we were both going to attend the same class at Hope's Peak, I was so happy. It was as though fate wanted us to stay together until this killing game started..."

"I don't think anyone expected this to happen… We've both lost two friends..."

"Yeah… I wish they didn't have to die… Who knows who'll be next? If it's one of my close friends again, I think I'll go insane..."

"If Popo and Hunter were here, they'd probably tell us to believe in everyone because no one would kill."

"But in the end, they both died… Destiny is so cruel! Making Popo and I the best of friends, giving us hope and then taking him away."

"Hey, how did you meet Popo?"

"It's not really an interesting story. We attended the same preschool as kids. We were both the best climbers. At the time, we were kinda like rivals trying to outperform each other. Once during a harsh winter, we both went climbing but ended up stranded somewhere. Popo managed to get us to safety but it was still very snowy and cold. He was really cold, so I ran to get help. I made it through the harsh weather with no problem and got help. After that, we became really close friends."

"His death must have been really hard for you..."

"It still is… I don't know what I could have done to deserve this."

"S-same here..."

Duncan and Nana spent the rest of the afternoon comforting each other as they walked around Jabberwock Island.

* * *

After dinner, Duncan planned on going to go but his plans were thwarted by a sudden announcement.

" **Meeting at Jabberwock Park! Meeting at Jabberwock Park! If you don't come, you'll be punished. Upupu!"**

It didn't take long for everyone to arrive at the park. No one wanted to be punished after all. Monokuma arrived with a tied up Monomi. He ordered Monomi to hand out envelopes to all the students. She refused and was greeted with a punch to the face. The bear whined as he distributed the envelopes.

Duncan was unsure what would be in his. He gulped as he opened his. He hesitated for a second, but after a long breath, he took out the paper that was inside.

**Why do I like using swords?**

**Malfunctions that cause people to die in fires.**

Duncan was confused when he read what was written on the paper. Was this paper supposed to be given to Roy? Duncan had never even touched a sword in his entire life. Roy had mentioned being able to use a sword on fire without burning himself, did that mean that Roy liked burning people? No, it didn't make sense. Roy wouldn't have been given his talent if he hurt people with "malfunctions".

It seemed Duncan wasn't the only confused one. Almost everyone looked confused as they stared at their paper. The only exceptions were Pichu and Roy who appeared to be more confused because of everyone's reactions.

"I don't get it! What is this?" Peach whined.

"Yeah, my paper makes no sense!" Falco complained, "You better explain this!"

"Upupu! It's your motive."

"Motive? How the Hell is this shit a motive?"

"I gave everyone a question and an answer. But there's a twist to it! I bet you wanna know!"

"Stop wasting our time and tell us!"

"How impatient and rude! Whatever… The twist is that the question and answer you got might not be related and they might not even belong to you!"

"Does that mean it isn't impossible to get our own question and answer?" Roy asked.

"Who knows! There is a way to find out what all the questions and answers are! All you have to do is solve a game, steal everyone's papers or something like that. You cannot swap each other's answers and questions willingly. I see everything, you cannot escape my watch. The game will be available starting tomorrow at night time."

The bear left laughing at everyone's confused expressions. Monomi walked towards the students and gave them a speech.

"I made sure to mix everything up so that it wouldn't make sense! You have no obligation to play the game. If you don't play the game, you won't be affected by Monokuma's motive! After all, curiosity killed the cat! I believe in all of you. If everyone stays positive and- Hey, is anyone listening?"

"You were saying something?" Link grinned.

"I'm your teacher, you should listen to me!"

"I'm pretty sure someone will end up playing the game… But it might be better if everyone played! That way, if someone dies, we can use the game as a motive and easily find the killer."

"No, you shouldn't play the game. What about your secrets? Monokuma didn't mention it, but your secrets are big and dark. They're from the darkest place in your hearts!"

"I think Link's got a point," Sheik admitted, "It would make it easier to find a potential killer. I find it unlikely that no one would play the game anyway."

"B-but curiosity killed the cat!"

No one listened to the bunny and she left feeling defeated. Everyone returned to their cottages without saying a word.

* * *

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan stared at his paper trying to figure out who the answer and question belonged to. The question seemed to belong to Roy, all though it wouldn't be impossible for it to belong to Marth or someone else who happened to like using swords. As for the answer, Duncan theorized that it belonged to either Pichu, Dr. Mario or Mr. Game & Watch.

All the thinking was making the duck feel more and more tired. So before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan woke up and went to eat breakfast with everyone. Today's meal was a delicious British breakfast consisting of baked beans on toast.

Once he finished breakfast, Duncan went to the second island's library. He thought he could find a book with useful information in there.

When he arrived, he saw Mewtwo reading. Duncan asked if he could join him and the pokemon agreed to let him stay.

The two spent their morning reading together in silence until Mewtwo broke it.

"Just what exactly is your talent?"

"I guess it's assisting people with anything. I spent a lot of time helping others. I don't know how Hope's Peak even accepted me."

"You must have helped a lot of people. They must have been very grateful and spread the word around."

"I guess that would be possible."

"Your talent is quite useful. It allows you to choose any job you want."

"Your talent is way more amazing, though. I once heard that jack of all trades are masters of none… Um… Do you know what you did to get into Hope's Peak?"

"I think it might have to do with me successfully cloning pokemon."

"Y-you cloned pokemon?"

"Yes. They even had their own different personalities. I could be considered the best cloner in the world."

"Did they survive?"

"Surprisingly, they did. They live happy lives now. Happier than mine at least."

"Is there a reason why you cloned pokemon?"

"My parents were geneticists. I'd help them in the lab. The cloning was just part of their studies."

Duncan could tell Mewtwo wasn't telling him everything. He decided not to ask him anything else and they continued reading until lunch time.

* * *

Duncan felt like eating burgers, so he went to the diner. He found Roy staring at the counter. The redhead appeared to be waiting for some reason. Curious, Duncan asked him what was going on.

"I'm waiting for a burger to appear. There aren't any cooks but burgers keep appearing," the teenager explained, "I keep missing the moment they appear..."

"I guess it is strange. Maybe Monokuma is the one making them or something."

"This whole island is weird… Then again, so are all of us."

"You really find everyone weird?"

"I don't mean that in a negative way. Everyone here is pretty unique. I don't think I really deserve being here..."

"I know that feeling. When I first came to Hope's Peak, I thought I was in a dream. It all seemed to good to be true."

"At least that's better than tripping the moment you entered. All the nervousness made me feel like my body didn't belong to me anymore. I felt like I shrank for a second or something. I can be very clumsy sometimes… At least no one saw me fall."

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking. What do you like the most about your talent?"

"Huh? Um… I guess it's fun and with a sword, I can protect the ones I love, like my friends and family."

"You really like protecting your loved ones."

"Yeah, but pranking them is pretty fun too."

"About pranking… I'm sorry if Duncan and I ruined your friendship with Marth."

"It's fine. Marth doesn't mind as much as he might have you believe. When we're not arguing about something stupid, we're pretty good friends. The prank was totally worth it. We should do another one."

* * *

Bowser was feeling very hungry. He had been sparring with Ganondorf. The two of them were training so that they could take on Monokuma.

Ganondorf was waiting with Nana for Bowser to bring burgers. Ever since the diner was discovered, almost everyone became obsessed with burgers.

Bowser went to the diner and got three burgers. He didn't bother looking at them, he could trust the burger maker or whoever was making them. And unlike a certain redhead, he didn't stare at nothing while forgetting that his friends were hungry and waiting for their lunch.

Bowser also made sure to grab some drinks. He didn't know what any of them were, but they looked okay. They were brown, so he assumed they were some kind of coke or ice tea.

The koopa returned to the restaurant where Nana and Ganondorf were waiting and was met with smiles. The smiles were actually directed at the burgers, but Bowser didn't know this and assumed his friends were happy he had returned.

However, the smiles turned into frowns once the burgers had been laid on the table. Bowser didn't understand what was wrong. Did they want more burgers?

Bowser decided that he was too hungry to get more and ate his burger. This was the biggest mistake of his life. The burger tasted like shit. The patty had been replaced by Brussels sprouts, the buns were soaking wet and the cheese had been replaced by plastic.

The koopa sucked it up and continued eating, he was too hungry to be picky.

But that wasn't the worst. As he chewed on his burger, Bowser could feel a burning sensation in his mouth. It got worse with every bite. The sauce was too hot. His mouth felt as though it was on fire and he could breathe fire with no problem.

The horrible sensation led Bowser to drink his soda. As he drank, he realized that the soda wasn't coke or ice tea. It was a disgusting mix of cold coffee, apple juice and salt.

Roy and Duncan arrived at the restaurant when Bowser started screaming. Ganondorf couldn't stop laughing and Nana was trying not to laugh at the agonizing koopa.

Bowser rushed to the kitchen to puke in the trash can and drink some water. Or at least that's what everyone assumed.

Roy and Duncan joined Ganondorf and Nana to laugh at Bowser's suffering. The laughter was stopped when everyone noticed a death glare directed at Roy.

"How funny finding you here laughing your ass off as we wait for you to bring us lunch," a very angry and hungry prince glared.

"We went looking for you in the diner, but you weren't there," Sheik explained.

"I was so hungry! I've never had a burger before!" Peach complained, "I was about to eat one when Link saved me! How sweet of him!"

"Don't say stuff like that," Link glared before returning to his usual sarcastic self, "We found some lovely looking burgers and drinks. They looked so good that we didn't want to touch them."

"I-I'm sorry," Roy stuttered, "I was-"

"First you prank, now you try to food poison me. What's next?"

"Damn, that burger was gross," Bowser shouted interrupting Marth and Roy's argument.

"W-wait, y-you actually ate the burger?"

"Sure, did… It was disgusting."

"You really ate the burger?" the Altean prince giggled.

"Yeah… I wouldn't recommend the diner to anyone."

The prince excused himself and left. When he left, laughter could be heard.

"He must feel so bad for Bowser, he left to cry," Peach commented unaware that the crying she heard was actually laughter.

"Of course, he does, Princess," Link sighed.

* * *

After the prank that ended up being blamed on Roy once again, Duncan needed to rest. He went to the Hotel Lobby where it was relaxing.

He sat on a sofa and meditated until he was disrupted by a falling object. Duncan flew to see where the object had fallen from.

"What's up, Duck?" Pichu smiled as he clung onto the fan.

"P-Pichu? Why are you hanging on the fan? You could fall!"

"You've gotta be more positive in life! It's pretty fun. It's like a mini attractions park."

"I… I still don't think it's a good idea. You'll get sick, if you stay on there too long!"

"You worry too much. Kinda like my older brother… I miss him so much! I want him to meet all of you!"

"You told me that before."

"I did? My memory isn't the best!"

"If you fall, it will get worse..."

"That would be bad. I don't want to forget anything important. Fine, I'll get off."

The pichu jumped off the fan and landed on the sofa.

"This is actually quite fun! I think I wanna do it again!"

"Pichu, you'll hurt yourself."

"I've got an idea! I'm going to be your counselor!"

"My counselor?"

"Yeah, you're all depressed and worried about everything! You've got to move on. Everything will work out in the end! We can't bring the dead back, but we can create a world they would have loved."

"I-I guess..."

"You guess? I want to hear more motivation, Duncan! We're not stopping until you cheer up!"

Duncan wondered when he had gotten so depressed. He was having lots of fun earlier.

In the end, the counseling session ended up being a "jumping off the fan onto the sofa" session.

* * *

At the end of the day, Duncan was feeling very tired. He took his time eating his dinner before returning to his cottage.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

The game was now available. Duncan didn't want to check it out. He was too tired he just wanted to sleep.

But alas, destiny was cruel. Someone knocked on his door. Duncan reluctantly got up of his bed to open the door.

"S-sorry for disturbing you, but..." Marth whispered, "I saw Link go out of his cottage. I think he's going to go check out the game."

"We've gathered a few people to come with us," Roy smiled.

"Please come!" Nana and Pichu begged.

"I'm just here to make sure they don't do anything stupid..." Sheik sighed.

"Wait, I'm the one who's supposed to make sure no one fucks up!" Falco argued.

Duncan felt obliged to go with them.

* * *

As they walked towards Jabberwock Park, Duncan was hit with a realization.

"How do you guys know where the game is?"

"Oh, I just assumed it would be at Jabberwock Park," Marth admitted.

"But didn't Monokuma say we couldn't tell each other our answers and questions?"

"He never said we couldn't spy on someone playing the game. Link doesn't know we'll be there, so we won't break any rules."

* * *

The group arrived at the park and saw Link in front of an arcade machine. They hid behind a bush and looked at what Link would do next.

"He doesn't appear to be having any trouble," Roy commented.

"He's skipping all the text!" Falco gasped as he looked through binoculars.

"If you continue making noise, he'll notice us," Duncan warned.

"Dude, stop being so pessimistic," Pichu whined in response.

"Guys, stop arguing. I'm trying to focus!" Nana complained.

"He beat the game. It hasn't even been a minute," Sheik announced.

Falco decided to read what was written on the screen out loud for everyone to hear.

"Congratulations, you've won! Sadly, you got the unlucky bug which has a one-millionth of a chance to appear. Too bad! What the fuck?"

"Oh, come on!" Marth yelled before heading to the arcade game, "Your luck is crap, Link. Tell me how you play this game.

"M-Marth? What are you doing here?" the blond asked.

The blue-haired prince ignored him and attempted to play the game. After a minute, he gave up.

"I don't get it."

"Marth, what crap reaction is that? You're all about not giving up!" Roy shouted before attempting to play the game as well.

Eventually, the whole group ended up playing the game with no success. The game was a platform game involving a group of seven kids trying to escape a school. The controls made no sense and the soundtrack was irritating.

"It seems no one is able to beat this game," Sheik sighed.

"Damn it, now we won't know the truth of whatever it is Monokuma's hiding!" Falco frowned.

"If none of us can beat it, I think that means no one else will be able to..." Duncan muttered.

Everyone returned to bed feeling defeated.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan woke up feeling hungry. He was still feeling extremely tired.

He walked to the restaurant and saw Mr. Game & Watch making breakfast. The little man seemed to be in a very good mood for once. He was usually short tempered.

Duncan asked him why he was in such a good mood and the man replied that he had a great dream.

"I had a dream where we were all at the beach having a good time. It gave me a great idea. We should all enjoy a nice time at the beach. I'll make piña coladas for everyone."

"It must be nice to remember dreams," Duncan smiled.

"N-nice? It's not… I had the weirdest dream ever..." Marth said.

"What was it?"

"I'm not going to tell you or anyone… I'd like to forget all of it."

"Does it involve you being pranked?" Link asked.

"Close enough."

Once everyone had arrived at the restaurant, Mr. Game & Watch announced his idea. Everyone appeared to like it. Game & Watch, Sheik, Bowser, Roy and Dr. Mario agreed to help him prepare.

* * *

Duncan decided he should get stuff to play with at the beach. He went to Rocketpunch Market and saw Falco. He asked his fellow bird what he was doing.

"I'm looking for a cool surfboard. I'm more of an air guy, but I think it would be really fun to try surfing."

"I surfed once, it was pretty fun. It's hard in the beginning, though."

"Everything's hard at the beginning. Well, except school. I remember piloting school getting harder every day. But I never gave up! That's why I was the first one in my school to ever be accepted into Hope's Peak."

"That's pretty cool!"

"Yeah! Everyone thought Fox would be the one to make it in. He was better at being a captain though. I was top of the class for a reason."

"Do you ever miss your old friends?"

"Yeah, not that I'd ever admit it in front of them."

"Huh? Why wouldn't you tell them?"

"I'm known as the coolest guy in class. If I were to get all emotional on them, my image would be ruined. Of course, if they were ever in any danger, I'd immediately go save them. Nothing's more embarrassing than letting your friends down when you have the ability to help them!"

"That's a good mindset to have. The never letting your friends down part, I mean."

"Heh, I knew you'd say that. This class is full of softies."

"You really think so?"

"Have you met everyone? Even Ganondorf and Bowser who act all tough are big softies that will happily hang out with Nana. I guess it's not such a bad thing. But acting weak the whole time is pretty uncool."

"I guess you do have a point."

"I've always got one! Let's go surfing now!"

* * *

Everyone gathered at Chandler Beach at around midday. Mr. Game & Watch had set up a food stand. His stand had mostly exotic foods but also some simple cakes. Another stand was dedicated to the piña coladas. The cook was standing in front of a fire Roy had started and was roasting some meat for everyone.

Pichu was building sand castles with Nana and Bowser. Sheik and Peach were enjoying their drinks in the shade. Mario was swimming with Mewtwo and Ganondorf. Roy, Link and Marth were fighting over who could make the biggest splashes. And Duncan was teaching Falco how to surf.

* * *

"Wow! This castle is so big! I even fit inside it!" Pichu squealed as he went inside the castle.

Nana grabbed him with a smirk on her face as Bowser jumped on the castle. Pichu saw this as a challenge to build an even better castle.

* * *

"I think we should race," Ganondorf suggested.

"There's no way I'll lose to you!" Mewtwo smirked.

"I guess, I'll be the referee. First one to make it back to the fire wins," Dr. Mario announced.

The two ended up in a tie and had to race each other ten times before accepting their tie.

* * *

"Y-you know what," Falco stuttered as he shacked on top of the surfboard, "I think I should stay an aerial bird."

"It's okay, Falco. As long as you stand-"

Duncan was interrupted by a loud splash cause by Falco falling off the surfboard.

"Let's do it one more time..."

"W-what? A-again?"

* * *

"I'm gonna go get a drink," Link said stopping the splash fight.

"What? I bet you just want to give up!" Roy said.

"Roy's right. You don't want to admit we're way better than you!" Marth taunted.

"Once I have my drink, I'll beat you two so hard!"

Link left the water and his friends continued creating big splashes.

"Hey, Link! I think you look very good today!" Peach smiled.

"I know, I'm hot."

"I'm kind of disappointed with the lack of sarcasm," Sheik admitted.

Link glared at her and started yelling.

"I'm so cold! It's freezing! Roy, can you set me on fire? I'm going to freeze to death otherwise!"

"Oh, no! Poor Link!" Peach gasped while Sheik facepalmed.

Link was about to take a drink when he felt water being thrown on him. He turned around to see Marth and Roy laughing. The short blond chased his friends back into the water.

Mr. Game & Watch was amused by the scene that unfolded. He took the drink Link wanted to take and joined Peach and Sheik in the shade.

* * *

Mr. Game & Watch called everyone once all the meat had been roasted. Everyone ate together and shared stories about what they had been doing.

"And then we had to race ten times. Ten times!"

"That's nice and all, Ganondorf. But how come you're not dead? You're not wearing any blue. People can only swim when they're dressed in blue," Link said with no sarcasm for once.

"Now, who told you that lie?" Game & Watch asked.

"I-it's a lie?"

"Link, you've seen fish swim. They don't wear any clothes," Duncan explained.

"I love fish! They're so cute!" Peach shouted.

"Personally, I prefer birds in the air," Falco smirked.

"We're not talking about birds," Sheik glared.

"I need to use the toilet," the cook said.

The cook left and the others continued talking. But after ten minutes, Game & Watch wasn't back. Everyone started getting worried, so Duncan went to knock on the bathroom's door but there wasn't any response.

Duncan could feel himself panic. He couldn't have died in the toilet, right? He rushed to get everyone. Ganondorf and Bowser managed to force the door to open.

That's when everyone saw  _it_. Mr. Game  & Watch's lifeless body lying on the bathroom's floor. He was dead. Duncan wished he couldn't believe it. But the last trial had taught him that life could be unbelievable. Despair had struck once again.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Marth: Wow, Roy. You suck at this even more than me.

Link: Don't listen to him, Roy! I believe in you.

Roy: Guys, you're distracting me!

Falco: You guys suck! Let me try!

Nana: No, you suck! I wanna try.

Pichu: I suck! Let me do it!

Sheik: Why am I surrounded by idiots?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> These chapters keep getting longer… It's almost over the max recommended chapter length which is 7000 words. If it's longer, you start daydreaming and get distracted. All though, I tend to daydream after the first word...
> 
> Lol, I keep ruining Roy and Marth's friendship.
> 
> I went to the beach today. It's been a year since I last went to a beach. Blame Scandinavian weather for that. Going to the beach made me want to write about the characters going to the beach. In SDR2, they never got to throw their beach party properly.
> 
> I'd like to finish the trial before leaving for Germany on Tuesday, but I can't guarantee anything. I'll make sure that I can at least finish the investigation before leaving. If I can find a way to upload from mobile, I might be able to spread the chapters out. Otherwise, you can check them out on my FF.net account.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	6. Chapter 2 - Colada Crime - Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan must investigate Mr. Game & Watch's murder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We went from long AF to short AF.

* * *

Duncan wished he had been dreaming. But the loud body discovery announcement assured him that this was not the case.

Duncan knew he had to investigate. Everyone's lives depended on it. Duncan looked at the Monokuma pad to learn more about what had happened.

**Truth Bullet #1 Mr. Game & Watch's death was caused by some type of poison. He died at around 1 pm.**

Duncan checked Game & Watch's body to search for clues. The man's body seemed intact. He showed no cuts or bruises. Nothing that indicated that poison had been injected into his system.

**Truth Bullet #2 Mr. Game & Watch's body is intact. There are no signs of any kind of injury.**

Duncan continued examining the bathroom. He flew up and noticed the window was closed. Hadn't Sheik installed a trap?

**Truth Bullet #3 The bathroom window is closed.**

The more he examined the bathroom, the more he noticed that nothing was out of place. It was as though no one besides Mr. Game & Watch had ever used it.

**Truth Bullet #4 There is no evidence of anyone entering the bathroom. The bathroom is completely intact.**

Duncan exited the beach house and went to the beach. He looked around for Mr. Game & Watch's belongings.

Dr. Mario found the now deceased man's glass and showed it to Duncan. He explained that the glass appeared to have been tampered with and that it smelled weird.

**Truth Bullet #5 Mr. Game & Watch's glass has been tampered with according to Dr. Mario. The glass is emitting a weird smell.**

Duncan asked around to know if Mr. Game & Watch had eaten all of his food. Everyone he asked said yes and he assumed the man had eaten everything.

**Truth Bullet #6 Mr. Game & Watch ate all of his food.**

Mario asked Duncan to accompany him to the restaurant. The two walked towards it.

* * *

When they arrived, they looked at all the glasses but couldn't find anything out of place.

"Had any luck finding anything?" Link asked as he entered the restaurant.

"Not really," Duncan sighed, "Mario was sure we'd find something here."

"Have you tried looking in the trash? You found important stuff in it last time."

"Mamma mia!" Mario yelled as he looked inside the trash, "There are empty bottles of medicine in the trash!"

"Someone must be feeling sick or something. Everyone looked fine though."

**Truth Bullet #7 Someone threw empty bottles in the restaurant's trash.**

**Truth Bullet #8 No one showed any signs of being sick.**

Dr. Mario inspected the bottles while Link and Duncan talked.

"Do you know anything that might be of importance?" Duncan asked.

"Hm… I guess. Game & Watch took the piña colada I was originally planning to take. It was the fullest glass."

**Truth Bullet #9 Mr. Game & Watch drunk the piña colada that Link originally intended to take.**

"Mario, have you finished examining the bottles?"

"I have, Duncan. All of these medicines can be mixed together to form a poison. This poison can be lethal."

**Truth Bullet #10 The medicines in the trash can be combined to form a lethal poison.**

"I think we should check out the game motive," Mario suggested.

* * *

Duncan, Mario and Link went to Jabberwock Park where they found Marth, Roy, Mewtwo, Nana, Falco, Bowser and Ganondorf in front of the arcade machine.

Ganondorf was the one paying. He appeared to have no trouble with the game and quickly beat it. The credits rolled and the background was of a desert.

Nana couldn't see, so she asked Ganondorf to let her go to the front. When the green man allowed her to go, the credits' background changed to a snow desert and the credits restarted.

Confused, everyone took turns standing in front of the arcade game and the background changed every time someone new stood in front. Eventually, everyone decided to let Nana stay in front.

**Truth Bullet #11 The motive game's credits change depending on who's in front of the arcade machine.**

Once the credits finished rolling. A Monokuma sprite appeared on screen.

**Congratulations! You've cleared the game!**

**Press A to continue.**

"S-should I really press A?" Nana asked, "What if it's something we really don't want to see."

"We've got no other choice," Falco answered, "Everyone's life depends on this."

With new found determination, Nana pressed the A button. The Monokuma on screen was joined by a sprite looking like Roy.

**Why do I like using swords? Because cutting is fun!**

**Press A to continue.**

"W-what?" Roy stuttered, "Why would I ever cut someone?"

"Maybe it means that you like cutting grass?" Link suggested.

Nana ignored them and pressed the A button. The Roy sprite left and a Link sprite appeared.

**What has my luck caused? My family to despair.**

**Press A to continue.**

"I guess that makes sense given our situation," Link admitted.

"Don't say that as though it's nothing!" Roy told him.

Nana pressed the A button once again. The Link sprite disappeared and a sprite looking like her appeared.

**What is my favorite thing about extreme weather? Seeing people despair since they can't handle it.**

**Press A to continue.**

Nana didn't say anything and just pressed the A button. A Falco sprite took the place of her sprite.

**Who flies with me? People I want to see die in a plane crash.**

**Press A to continue.**

"What's with these lies? I'd never want anyone to die in a plane crash!" Falco snapped.

Nana pressed the A button and Mario appeared on screen.

**Why did I become a doctor? To learn what pain causes the most despair.**

**Press A to continue.**

"I think something's wrong with this game," Mario frowned, "Maybe everything's the opposite or something..."

Nana pressed the A button and Marth appeared on the screen.

**Why do I act the way I do? To manipulate others and make them feel despair.**

**Press A to continue.**

"Yeah, I think Mario's got a point," Marth agreed, "Everyone's so out of character in this game."

Nana pressed the A button and Peach entered the stage.

**What do I think about sports? They're useful to train in the art of killing.**

**Press A to continue.**

Since Peach wasn't there, no one commented.

Nana pressed the A button and Pichu manifested on screen.

**What has my talent allowed? Malfunctions that cause people to die in fires.**

**Press A to continue.**

"What? That never happened!" Pichu yelled.

Nana pressed the A button and Sheik walked on screen.

**How do I guide people? By making them lose hope.**

**Press A to continue.**

Nana was about to press A when Ganondorf grabbed her. Suddenly, the arcade machine caught fire. Everyone was confused with what had happened. Monomi appeared with a water hose and stopped the fire.

**Truth Bullet #12 Only Roy, Link, Nana, Falco, Mario, Marth, Peach, Pichu and Sheik's questions and answers were revealed.**

**Truth Bullet #13 The arcade machine caught fire after Sheik's question and answer were shown.**

**Truth Bullet #14 Nana was standing in front of the arcade machine before it caught fire.**

Duncan looked around for anything that could have caused a fire. He eventually found a candle next to the arcade machine. It was positioned underneath a cable.

**Truth Bullet #15 A candle was found underneath one of the arcade machine's cables.**

It didn't seem like there would be anything else of use at Jabberwock Park. Duncan thought about where to look next when he was struck by an idea.

* * *

Duncan went to the library where he found Peach and Sheik looking around. He asked the girls if they had found anything weird. They explained that there were a lot of misplaced books and they were all related to medicine and poison in some way.

**Truth Bullet #16 Someone misplaced books related to poison and medicine.**

Duncan searched the library with Sheik and Peach and they stumbled upon multiple glasses. They appeared to all have a bit of liquid in them. It was as though someone hadn't finished drinking their drink or something.

**Truth Bullet #17 Glasses were hidden in the library. They still have some liquid in them.**

Duncan flew around the library and saw a stack of papers covering something. He removed the papers and found a recipe book. There was a bookmark in it, so Duncan decided to open it. The page that had been bookmarked was one on how to make piña coladas.

**Truth Bullet #18 There's a book on how to make piña coladas. It was hidden by a stack of papers.**

Duncan decided to check the paper stack to see if anything important was hidden among the papers. After ten minutes of searching, he found an interesting list.

**Roy: Why do I like using swords? Because cutting is fun!**

**Link: What has my luck caused? My family to despair.**

**Nana: What is my favorite thing about extreme weather? Seeing people despair since they can't handle it.**

**Falco: Who flies with me? People I want to see die in a plane crash.**

**Mario: Why did I become a doctor? To learn what pain causes the most despair.**

**Marth: Why do I act the way I do? To manipulate others and make them feel despair.**

**Peach: What do I think about sports? They're useful to train in the art of killing.**

**Pichu: What has my talent allowed? Malfunctions that cause people to die in fires.**

**Sheik: How do I guide people? By making them lose hope.**

**Bowser: What do I do after kidnapping people? I leave them in a cage to die.**

**Duncan: What is my talent? Assisting others to kill themselves and spread despair.**

**Mewtwo: What am I? A psychopath that turns pokemon into living weapons.**

**Ganondorf: What is the best part of playing music? The subliminal messages leading people to commit suicide.**

**Mr. Game & Watch: What do I plan to do with my cooking? Kill everyone.**

It was a list of all the questions and answers. It even showed to whom they belonged. Nothing appeared to be wrong for the first nine ones. The list was in the same order as the credits.

**Truth Bullet #19 Someone wrote down all the questions and answers. There don't appear to be any mistakes for the first nine.**

**Truth Bullet #20 The order on the list is the same as the credits.**

Duncan stared at Mr. Game & Watch's question and answer. Did the cook accidentally kill himself or something? Why would he leave such an obvious clue?

**Truth Bullet #21 Mr. Game & Watch's question and answer state that he planned to kill everyone with his cooking.**

Duncan exited the library and headed towards Jabberwock Park, but before he could arrive, Monokuma made an announcement.

" **Yeah, I'm bored. Even Monomi is bored. That only means one thing… It's trial time! Head to the Monokuma rocks! I don't want to see anyone absent."**

* * *

Everyone gathered in front of the Monokuma rocks. The atmosphere was tense. Once again, there was no obvious culprit.

Duncan wasn't sure how the trial would go. Hunter believed he could lead everyone down the right path, but Duncan was scared. He was scared of missing an important detail and causing everyone's death. He knew he wasn't the smartest person in class nor the dumbest, he was just average. He was just a normal duck who's talent happened to be assisting others.

"Don't be sad! I know you guys can make it through!" Monomi cheered as she appeared from thin air, "I believe in you!"

"That's not the most appropriate thing to say right now," Mewtwo sighed.

"Hah! You actually bother listening to her?" Ganondorf laughed.

"I know right!" Monokuma gasped as he entered the conversation, "I would never listen to Monomi. Did you know that you can know if someone is trustworthy based on their opinion on Monomi?"

"Stop spouting nonsense," Mario frowned.

"You're more impatient than an immature audience! Fine, we can all go to the trial!"

Escalators appeared and everyone climbed them before entering the elevator. The ride down was silent. Not a sound besides the elevator.

Duncan felt as though the ride was longer than the first time. If it wasn't for his classmate's presence, he was sure he would have burst into tears. If he was alone, he might have even collapsed or fainted because of all the stress and fear he was feeling.

Once the elevator stopped, a new trial ground was revealed. The blue walls had been replaced with what appeared to be a wallpaper of a city from an old video game. There weren't many colors, black dominated over everything. Monokuma sat on his throne while Monomi was tied to a frying pan next to him. Once again, the trial ground had been designed in "honor" of the victim.

Everyone went to their respective seats. The seats belonging to Popo, Hunter and Mr. Game & Watch had photos of them.

Duncan had never felt so scared and alone before. He didn't want to be a burden to everybody. He knew he couldn't sit quietly during the whole trial, but he was scared of messing up.

Not knowing what to think about, Duncan recalled Hunter's last words.

_It's your story now. Don't ever give up hope!_

He had to do this. He had to make sure everyone arrivedto the right conclusion. Otherwise… Otherwise Hunter, Popo and Mr. Game & Watch's deaths would have been in vain.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Nana: There's snow!

Roy: I can't see! Everyone's too tall!

Marth: You're too short!

Roy: You can't see either. In a few years, you'll be crying that I'm taller than you. ( _goes to the front_ ) That looks like my house!

Marth: ( _pushes Roy out of the way_ ) There's my castle.

Link: What's with the lame flag?

Marth: L-lame flag? Altea's flag isn't lame!

Bowser: ( _goes to the front_ ) My castle!

Link: ( _somehow makes it to the front_ ) My house feels like a disappointment now…

Pichu: For a countryside house, it's pretty cute! It's got a cute pony.

Link: Epona's not a cute pony! She's a badass horse that will kick you if you call her a cute pony!

Pichu: I wanna get a closer look! ( _goes to the front_ ) No! The pony is gone! ( _cries_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> I'll try to finish the trial on Monday. Otherwise, I'll only be able to upload on my FF.net and DA.
> 
> See you guys next chapter.


	7. Chapter 2 - Colada Crime - Class Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class trial begins! Will Duncan be able to solve the mystery behind Mr. Game & Watch's death?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to wake up at 5 am tomorrow. I've still got lots of stuff to prepare...

"Let's start with an explanation of the class trial," Monokuma started, "During the trial you will present arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished and you will continue living your normal life here. But if you pick wrong, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will be allowed to graduate."

"I think we should discuss the cause of death," Dr. Mario suggested.

"The Monokuma file said it was poison," Pichu remembered, "In that case, someone must have found poison somewhere."

"Are there even any places where we could find poison?" Mewtwo asked.

"His food might have been rotten," Nana answered, "Maybe that's the poison?"

"We'd be dead too if that was the case," Sheik told the young girl.

"What if Mr. Game & Watch was allergic to an ingredient he used? We don't know what the food on this island is made of," Ganondorf said.

"Upupu! All the food here is organic! Nothing added. There aren't any bugs on this island!"

"Sure..."

"You know, maybe there's poison in the pharmacy," Bowser smiled, "Besides Dr. Mario, none of us really bothered spending any time there."

"But pharmacies are for medicine!" Pichu shouted, "There's no way a pharmacy would have anything that could kill you."

_No, Dr. Mario told me otherwise._

"No, that's wrong!"

"What do you mean, Duncan?"

"Dr. Mario told me certain medicines can be combined to form poison."

"That's right," Dr. Mario agreed, "Most medicines can become poisonous if you take too much. Others don't react well when mixed together and can created unwanted effects."

"To top it off, we found medicine bottles in the kitchen's trash."

"But why would the killer leave the bottles in the kitchen?" Bowser asked.

"Maybe they pretended to be sick or something? Sometimes you can hide stuff in plain sight!" Peach answered.

"I don't think that's the case," Duncan intervened, "No one looked sick."

"Aren't you forgetting about a certain incident?" Ganondorf laughed, "You know the one."

"Bowser was fine after eating the burger."

"But was he really? He's a koopa, they might have different ways of being sick."

"I'm not so weak that I'd take medicine after eating a burger!" Bowser yelled, "I don't even take medicine when I'm sick!"

"I see you are worthy of my respect."

"Thanks, bro!"

"Now that we know where the poison came from, we should figure out how it got into Mr. Game & Watch."

"If the killer got their poison in the pharmacy," Nana started, "Maybe they also took a syringe!"

Duncan remembered his inspection of Mr. Game & Watch's body. Nothing suggested the use of a syringe.

"You're wrong, Mr. Game & Watch had no external injuries. A mark would have been left if a syringe had been used."

"I guess this leaves his food and drink as the only options," Roy said.

"Not necessarily," Mewtwo objected, "The killer could have used something to heat up the poison and make it evaporate in the toilet. The closed window would have kept the poison in the toilet. This leads me to believe that the killer could be anyone who went to the toilet before Mr. Game & Watch."

"And how exactly would the killer take a device to the toilet without anyone noticing?"

"They could have hidden it in their towel or swimsuit. Maybe they placed it the day before in the toilet or something."

"What device would they have used?"

"Um… I'm not sure..."

"As I was saying, the poison was either in his food or his drink."

"The food wouldn't really make sense. Mr. Game & Watch was the one who brought and cooked it. This leaves only his drink as the logical option," Marth deduced.

There was something that confirmed what Marth had said. It was an object Dr. Mario had found.

"I agree, Dr. Mario showed me a glass he had found at the beach. He told me it had been tampered."

"How did Dr. Mario know the glass had been tampered?" Pichu asked.

"It was the smell. It didn't smell like the drink I had."

"So, if it was the glass… Do you guys think Game & Watch put the poison in it?"

"There's no reason for him to do that" Bowser answered.

"His question and answer said that he planned on killing everyone with his cooking," Duncan remembered, "But if that was the case, why is he the only one dead?"

"I think I've got an idea," Mewtwo smirked, "If he killed himself, we'd have trouble finding the killer. He could have wanted us to assume that someone killed him. We'd all vote wrong and we'd all be punished. In a way, he would have used his cooking to kill everyone."

"But, why would he do that?"

"He could have hidden a mental illness or something from us. We didn't get to see all the questions and answers, but we saw enough to conclude that Monomi might have been right when she said they were our darkest secrets."

"Wait a minute!" Monokuma shouted, "Did you just compliment Monomi!?"

"I'll give credit where credit is due."

"Son of a bitch!"

"Wait!" Peach screamed, "Does this mean we're all secretly evil or something?"

"Everyone's secretly evil, Peach. Upupu! If you make it, you'll get to know the truth! It's still too early to reveal everything."

"Does this mean Mr. Game & Watch just wanted to kill us all?"

"It's still too early to figure out," Sheik told her friend, "I can't see him as wanting to kill everyone."

"Me neither! It has to be someone else! There's no advantage for Game & Watch to kill us all this way."

"I think you're on to something. Maybe the killer wants us to think it was suicide. But what could prove that it isn't?"

_Something that can prove it wasn't suicide…_

"Link, you said Game & Watch took the drink you wanted. Did he try to stop you?" Duncan asked.

"No, I didn't to get to take the drink because my awesome friends really me to kill them."

"Can you turn off the sarcasm?" Falco asked, "Pichu seems lost."

"I'm not lost!"

"Roy and Marth threw water on me so I chased them while Game took the drink I wanted."

"That means the drink you wanted to take was the poisoned one!"

"And if Game & Watch didn't try to stop you or give you that drink," Falco reflected, "He might not have cared if you took it or not. He let us all choose our drinks. I think he just happened to choose the poisoned one! I'm a genius, I figured it out!"

"Then who's the killer? We have to know!"

"I-I'll get to it when the time is right."

"Maybe the killer didn't have a specific target," Roy suggested, "It would make it much harder to figure out who they are. The questions and answers are so weird, I don't see how they would make the killer target someone in particular."

"That makes sense. The killer didn't know Mr. Game & Watch's question and answer."

Duncan knew that couldn't be true. Someone knew all the questions and answers.

"That's wrong. The killer knew everybody's questions and answers. They even wrote them down."

"How do we know if they wrote them correctly?" Nana asked, "Maybe they changed some."

"In that case, it can only be the ones toward the bottom. The order is the same as in the credits."

"So, we can only be sure that the first nine ones are correct."

"I think this makes the people towards the bottom more suspicious," Dr. Mario said, "This makes the tenth person on the list the most suspicious."

"That means Bowser."

"Hey! How do you know I would have been the tenth person? Maybe the list's order is wrong," Bowser argued.

"The list goes from the shortest names to the longest ones. The names with the same number of letters go in alphabetical order," Marth explained, "That means you're the tenth person."

"The question and answer things are really true! You're manipulating me into feeling despair!"

"Let's ignore him. All the people at the bottom of the list, besides Mr. Game & Watch, were there when we played the game and the machine caught fire before Bowser's question and answer appeared."

"Ganondorf was the one to clear the game and Nana was at the front," Duncan said, "We also got to see all of the credits besides Game & Watch's. I think the killer made sure we saw their credits, otherwise they'd be suspicious."

"Okay, but how come the machine was set on fire?" Pichu asked.

"There was a candle underneath one of the cables. I think this confirms that the killer played the game and didn't want us knowing their question and answer. This also means that one of the questions or answers must be a lie."

"It would be pretty stupid to leave an important list where anyone could find it."

"That wasn't the only thing that had been left for everyone to find. Peach and Sheik found glasses in the library with weird liquids in them."

"The killer could have used those to mix the medicines," Dr. Mario suggested.

"They also left a book on how to make piña coladas."

"I think I understand what the killer tried to do," Roy said, "They must have prepared the poison in the library using the glasses and hidden them in there for future use. Afterwards, they waited for Mr. Game & Watch to announce what we'd eat. They used the recipe book to know when would be the best time to add the poison to the drinks."

"The killer could have prepared the poison after Mr. Game & Watch told us he'd make piña coladas," Marth told Roy.

"Yeah, that's possible too. They'd have to be pretty quick though."

"I guess we should check everyone's alibis for the time between Mr. Game & Watch's announcement."

"I was preparing the food and drinks with Mr. Game & Watch and Sheik," Dr, Mario revealed, "The only times Mr. Game & Watch and Sheik didn't see me was when I went to the toilet. We left to check on Bowser and Roy before the drinks were served."

"That's correct," Sheik nodded, "If someone was there, we would have noticed it. This means we can't be the killers. I also think there's no way Roy or Bowser could be the killers."

"Yeah! Roy was teaching me how to make a fire," Bowser grinned.

"We spent almost all our time at the beach. The only time we weren't at the beach was when we went to change, but that was right after breakfast," Roy explained, "The killer could have closed the window while we were focusing on the fire, though."

"Your alibis match, it seems it's unlikely that any of you killed Mr. Game & Watch," Marth said, "So, the killer must be one of the others. At around what time did Mr, Game & Watch serve the drinks?"

"Around eleven," Dr. Mario answered, "It wouldn't be impossible for the killer to have quickly put poison in the drinks right after we served them. We didn't have our eyes on the drink the whole time. But we were in each other's sight the whole time. We would have noticed if any of us was the killer. We should continue checking the alibis."

"I spent my time with Duncan at Rocketpunch Market," Falco smirked, "Us birds gotta stick together. There's no way we'll let you roast our feathers off!"

"Um… Yeah, we spent all our time there," Duncan agreed, "There's no way either of us would have had the time to commit the murder."

"Same for me and Marth!" Link smiled.

"It's Marth and me," Marth corrected.

"Well, excuse me, princess!"

"P-princess?"

"Yes, Princess Martha."

"Stop it, guys! Just tell us your alibis," Roy ordered.

"We were running away from Peach the whole time."

"You mean you dragged me along with you," Marth sighed.

"No! You were the one who came to me when Roy decided to be in the helping group!"

"I don't know the specifics, but they were running away from me the whole time," Peach pouted, "All I wanted to do was show Link my swimming costume. But then he grabbed Marth and ran away!"

"I guess we can rule them off as being suspects," Duncan mumbled, "That leaves Nana, Pichu, Ganondorf and Mewtwo without alibis."

"The killer's got to be Mewtwo or Ganondorf!" Pichu shouted, "They're among the more suspicious ones!"

"I already told everyone that I wouldn't kill!" Ganondorf yelled.

"Upupu! It's debate scrum time!"

The class was divided between two groups those that thought Ganondorf or Mewtwo could be the killer and those that thought Nana or Pichu could be the killer. The former group consisting of Nana, Pichu, Roy, Marth, Link, Peach and Duncan went to the right and the latter group consisting of Ganondorf, Mewtwo, Sheik, Falco, Dr. Mario and Bowser went to the left.

"Upupu! All right, Ganny start the debate!"

"Pichu and Nana are small, so they could easily go unnoticed!"

"How are we supposed to reach the high toilet window or the medicine books if we're small?" Nana replied.

"Pichu's answer states that he can cause malfunctions to set things on fire," Mewtwo remembered.

"So, why did the killer use a candle to light the machine on fire? I wouldn't have needed one!" Pichu yelled.

"There was nothing stopping Nana or Pichu from going to the library and reading books on how to make poisons," Sheik said.

"The same can be said for Mewtwo and Ganondorf," Roy told her.

"Ganondorf wasn't the only to have cleared the game!" Falco yelled.

"You saw Pichu and Nana play the game, they had no idea what to do," Marth sighed.

"They could be using the fact that we got to see their questions and answers to their advantage," Dr. Mario suggested.

"They're the youngest ones on this island. Do you really expect them being capable of thinking about that kind of thing," Link glared.

"They're hiding a really dark secret!" Bowser shouted.

"So are Ganondorf and Mewtwo!" Peach screamed even louder.

"There's nothing that makes Mewtwo or I suspicious in any way besides the lack of alibi!" Ganondorf groaned.

That couldn't be the case. If anything, Nana and Pichu had nothing pointing towards them being the killer.

"That's wrong. The ones with lack of suspicion are Nana and Pichu," Duncan quacked, "Neither of you was with us when Link first cleared the game. Ganondorf also happened to save Nana right before the machine caught fire while Mewtwo liked spending time at the library."

"So? That doesn't prove anything! I did not kill anyone!" Ganondorf snapped.

"I didn't say it was necessarily you..."

"But you implied it!"

"You're getting awfully defensive, Ganny," Link mocked.

"You think I'm the killer too?"

"Nah, you're too much of an idiot to come up with this kind of plan."

"But Ganondorf was able to clear the game with no difficulty," Falco reminded Link, "He may not be as stupid as he seems."

"Of course, I'm not!" the Gerudo defended himself, "The game was stupidly easy! You just had to press the buttons at the same time as the drums from the background music!"

"I guess for someone who's talent involves music, it would make sense for you to have no difficulty."

"Hey, Sheik and I never got to see what the game was. Could somebody explain what it was?" Peach requested.

"It's a game where three blonds, two pink balls, an Italian and an idiot try to run away from school. You control them and you have to get them out."

"That's… Certainly unique. So, who's the killer?"

"Obviously Mewtwo!" Ganondorf shouted.

"You're being pretty suspicious, you know," Pichu glared.

"So, do we proceed to the vote?" Nana asked.

"No, I think we should go over Mewtwo and Ganondorf's answers," Duncan said.

_I can't help but feel something's off…_

"We should figure out which one would lead them to kill."

"They're not very useful," Sheik sighed, "They don't seem like reasons to kill."

"Then what if one of them was changed? Their answers could have been modified by whoever the killer is. Dr. Mario, do you know if music could cause someone to commit suicide?"

"It can't," Dr. Mario revealed, "It would only bring suicidal thoughts to someone who's extremely depressed. However, I don't think it would be impossible for an Ultimate to find a way to create music that drives people to commit suicide."

"And does Mewtwo show signs of being a psychopath?"

"Not from what I've seen. You can't become a psychopath over time, so he's either really good at hiding it or he's not one."

"So, both could be right or wrong..."

"Mewtwo's indicates him as being more likely to kill. If he really is a psychopath… Would he need a reason to kill?" Link asked.

"But Ganondorf freaked out earlier..." Peach sighed.

"Of course, I'd freak out! I don't wanna die! I don't want the stupid killer to have us all killed!" Ganondorf yelled.

"Um, guys? How come we just never asked everyone which question and answer they received?" Roy asked.

"Monokuma said he'd get us killed if we swapped questions and answers willingly! God damn it! If I could show you guys mine, I'd be proven innocent! I'd take it out of my pocket and show it to you guys if I could."

"Hey, Monokuma!" Link smirked as he walked towards Roy and took a paper out of the redhead's pocket, "If I go to Roy, take his paper and read everything out loud."

"Wait, Link! Don't do it!" the redhead yelled.

"Now I get why you thought this was yours!"

"Link!"

"What has my talent allowed? My family to despair."

"Link, you're gonna get yourself punished!"

"And as you've clearly seen, it was all against Roy's will."

"Why does your family always cause me all this trouble?" Monokuma asked himself.

As the bear and all the other students were distracted, Duncan flew towards Ganondorf's pocket and took out a piece of paper. He took his chance and grabbed everyone's papers. He flew back to his seat and read them all out loud.

"What do I do after kidnapping people? The subliminal messages leading people to commit suicide."

"Upupu! What an amusing turn of events!"

"What is my talent? Kill everyone. What do I think about sports? Assisting others to kill themselves and spread despair. What am I? To learn what pain causes the most despair. Why do I like using swords? Malfunctions that cause people to die in fires. What is my favorite thing about extreme weather? Because cutting is fun! What do I plan to do with my cooking? To manipulate others and make them feel despair. What is the best part of playing music? Seeing people despair since they can't handle it. Why did I become a doctor? People I want to see die in a plane crash. What has my luck caused? They're useful to train in the art of killing. Who flies with me? By making them lose hope."

Duncan paused for a second before reading the final question and answer.

"How do I guide people? I'm actually just a clone."

"..."

"Mewtwo?"

"I'll give credit where credit is due…"

"..."

"I beat the game after seeing everyone play it and planned everything after Game & Watch announced his plans. I didn't intend on killing anyone in particular."

"But why would you want to kill?"

"I wanted to learn the truth about this. I'd be unable to do so here."

"..."

"Just do the case summary, already."

Duncan took a moment to recollect his thoughts before summarizing the case.

"Everything started when Monokuma gave us our motives. The killer had gotten their own answer and was confused. This meant they had to play the game to find out more.

The following night, Link went to play the game unaware that he was being followed by a small group. He cleared it, but instead of showing the credits, his game bugged. This lead everyone else to try the game but to no avail. Everyone left without noticing that the killer had been spying on them. The killer played the game, eventually clearing it and they wrote down all the questions and answers while making sure to change their own answer.

The next day, Mr. Game & Watched announced plans to organize lunch at the beach. The killer knew this would be their chance. They went to the library to look up ways to create poison. After finding a method, they went to get the ingredients at the pharmacy and they created the poison in the library.

After looking at the recipe for piña colada, the killer decided that the best moment to add the poison would be after it had been served as to not kill more people than necessary.

They took the poison and the empty bottles and went to the restaurant. When everyone left, the killer threw the bottles in the trash. They were unable to put in the poison because the drinks hadn't been served yet.

Because of this, they decided to go to the beach. They closed the bathroom window as they expected their victim to go there after drinking the poisonous drink. Afterward, they just waited for the drinks to arrive.

When they arrived, the killer waited for everyone to focus on something else while they poured the poison into the piña colada. Thanks to the very light smell, they'd be able to recognize it and not drink it.

The killer then went to the arcade machine and lit a candle under one of the cables, so that the whole machine would catch fire. It didn't matter to the killer when it caught fire as long as nobody got to see their true answer.

After all the preparations were done, everyone met up at the beach. Link was about to take the poisonous drink but was interrupted by Marth and Roy. Mr. Game & Watch ended up being the one to take the poisonous drink thus unknowingly sealing his fate.

Later, Mr. Game & Watch excused himself to go to the bathroom where he eventually died."

Duncan caught his breath before finishing.

"Isn't that right Mewtwo, the Ultimate Geneticist?"

"Yes… Yes, it is..."

"Upupu! I guess you've all made up your minds. Time to vote!"

Everyone cast their vote for Mewtwo hoping that they were corrected.

"Upupu! Correct once again! I'm proud of you! You don't even have an Ultimate Detective or Puzzle Solver and you've made it this far."

"They made it this far because they believe in each other! They have hope!" Monomi shouted.

" _Them_  having hope? Please tell me you're being sarcastic. Oh, wait! You don't know how to be! Upupu!"

"I guess this is the end of the road for me," Mewtwo sighed.

"How can you just accept defeat like that?" Ganondorf asked, "You didn't even put up a fight!"

"I know most of you prefer going down fighting. But I'd rather surrender with dignity than make a fool of myself by fighting a pointless battle."

"So, you're just accepting your death?" Duncan said.

"It's not like I have any other choice. You know, I can see why Hunter placed his trust in you."

"Huh?"

"Upupu! All right… It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"

* * *

Mewtwo appears in a laboratory surrounded by Monokuma dressed as scientists. The sight makes Mewtwo's face pale as unwanted memories are awakened. The Monokumas tie Mewtwo up and throw him into a giant test tube full of a thick liquid. Mewtwo is unable to move and is forced to sit still in the tube as he regrets all his past actions. The Monokumas carry the tube and place it on a steep water slide.

**Strike Mewtwo Back**

Mewtwo slides down at an extremely high speed. He can feel the thick liquid enter his system as he goes down.

A Monokuma dressed in pink appears at the end of the slide. When the tube arrives at the end of the slide, the Monokuma punches the tube sending it back up to the laboratory.

The process is repeated multiple times. Mewtwo becomes unable to see or sense anything besides despair as the painful process shows no sign of stopping.

However, after a few repeats. The tube stops at the bottom of the slide and is opened by the pink Monokuma. The liquid spill out and Mewtwo is able to breathe again. He gasps for air as a bit of hope forms in his heart.

The moment doesn't last long. What appeared to be a minute to Mewtwo was, in fact, ten seconds. The tube is refilled with a different liquid. At first, Mewtwo doesn't notice a difference. But as the tube is closed once again, he notices a burning sensation all over his body. The liquid is acid. The pokemon feels tear rolling down his cheeks as the pink Monokuma punches the tube allowing it to return to the lab.

The lab is redecorated with photos and plushies of the mythical pokemon Mew. Once the tube arrives in the lab, Monokumas dressed as Mew open it. All that's left in it is acid and particles of what once was Mewtwo.

* * *

All the students stood speechless as they saw Mewtwo's execution. No one knew what to say. They had lost two comrades in one day once again. The dreaded feeling of despair filled the room.

"Upupu!" Monokuma laughed as he made the situation worse for the students, "What a fun execution! It was so symbolic!"

"H-how can you say such a thing?" Peach cried.

"I live and breathe despair! And I fucking love it! Upupu!"

The bear disappeared leaving the students alone with Monomi. The bunny attempted to cheer up the students with a speech.

"You guys can't let Monokuma win! I know you will be able to beat him. Maybe not know… But in the future you will! Because you're students from Hope's Peak Academy. If Monokuma lives and breathes despair, you guys live and breathe hope."

"B-but… No matter what we do," Nana stuttered, "Monokuma always ruins it. We say we want hope, but in the end we always end up despairing."

"But if you make it through the despair, you'll all become stronger! You'll be able to bring hope to the world! If you can't even bring hope to yourself, how will you save everyone else?"

"She's right," Marth agreed, "There's no way I'm losing to Monokuma."

"Yeah!" Roy smiled at his friend, "Even it's just the two of us… We can't let Monokuma win. We have to get out of this island! But not the way Monokuma wants us to."

"Make it three," Link added, "We'll find a way to beat him no matter what!"

"I suppose there's space for one more in your party?" Falco smirked.

"I want to join the party!" Pichu grinned before frowning, "I may feel sad… But if we all work together against Monokuma, we'll be happy in the end and we'll get to leave. I'll be able to see my family again!"

"I'm so proud of you!" Monomi cheered, "I'm positive you'll make it out!"

Duncan could tell that Ganondorf, Sheik and Bowser were skeptical. Nana and Peach appeared to be too sad to think about hope after having seen such a devastating scene.

Duncan understood perfectly why some were skeptical. If you placed too much hope on something and it failed, despair would hit much harder than if you had never believed in hope. But he could understand the other side too. Nothing good would happen if they gave in to despair, they'd never get out.

"You shouldn't blindly follow hope," Sheik sighed, "There's nothing wrong with believing in it. But if you believe too much, I think it will be the death of you."

"I hate to agree, but she's right," Ganondorf admitted, "You guys are way too idealistic."

"What do you think, Duncan?" Bowser asked.

"I… I don't think there's a right or wrong side… Why would you be interested in my opinion?"

"You were awesome in the trial! If it weren't for you, we might have voted randomly and all died."

"He's right," Peach agreed as she attempted to return to her usual cheerful self, "You were really helpful! Can I call you Detective Ducky?"

"Um, sure."

Everyone was feeling slightly better. But Duncan couldn't help but feel that the class would end up split into two camps. He couldn't let that happen. If people were to resent each other, they wouldn't be able to cooperate to fight against Monokuma.

* * *

Duncan returned to his room feeling exhausted. If it wasn't for his exhaustion, Duncan was sure he wouldn't have been able to sleep. Thoughts about the trial filled his mind, but eventually, his sleepiness took over.

* * *

Monomi was standing inside a house speaking on the phone to someone.

"They're still clinging on to hope… But we've lost four students. It won't be long until they become more curious about their dark secrets' origins. They'll figure everything out… They'll want their memories back..."

"But we can't let them become  _them_  again."

"If it wasn't for the traitor… The traitor among the survivors of the first killing game. We wouldn't be in this situation."

"I was foolish to believe we'd all live the rest of our lives happy as friends. I can't figure out who'd betray us. The results of the current game tell me it could be anyone."

"That doesn't matter right now! We need to make sure that they don't remember anything from their time as  _them…_  I don't know if their current personalities will stay or if their old ones will take over."

"I hope they can make it until the revival crew gets here. This virus is worse than I imagined, but at least it can't fry the brain and cause death. Once they get here, we'll start moving the ones that are dead in this world. The virus won't be able to get in our way."

"This better work out. We can't let this have been for nothing. Once we get all the students out of here, we'll have to find a way to cure them if they regain their memories and old personalities. I know you can do this, Link. You got everyone out of that school, you can do the same again. You'll solve the puzzle once again!"

"Or I'll die trying. Everyone told me it's impossible… But I believe there's hope… Even for the Remnants of Despair."

* * *

Deleted scene:

Link: Well, excuse me, princess.

Marth: Y-you did not just say that!

Link: Shit! I hate Dick! He's such a dick! Because of him, I have to hang out with Wild who keeps trying to steal my pets!

Roy: Your family sure is unique. You give each other funny nicknames.

Peach: So, about my swimsuit-

Link: No one cares.

Marth: I hate agreeing with you, but you're absolutely right, Link.

Roy: Don't we usually agree on most things?

Link: Yeah, I guess we do. Great minds think alike!

Bowser: I'll look at your swimsuit!

Dr. Mario: That swimsuit can be impractical. The shape of it could cause marks and the wires could be damaging.

Peach: Why are the only guys interested in me either kidnappers or Italian?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, enjoy the show.
> 
> You can pick five characters for Duncan to hang out with and one character for him to prank.
> 
> This was longer than I first intended it to be. This seems to be a new trend…
> 
> I spent my whole day writing this. I only wrote two pages yesterday. This doesn't include distractions (Reddit, I'm addicted to the FEH subreddit). I also finally got Link to say excuse me princess to Marth. I've been waiting for the perfect moment.
> 
> TFW all your readers already know all the plot twists and reveals because of SDR2, so you have to come up with weird ass twists and foreshadowing. This isn't even the biggest twist of them all.
> 
> Next chapter will be out around mid-August. I might upload some joke one-shots if I write any during the vacations (unlikely but still possible). I have an idea where Marth gets angry because he thinks Ike and Roy have some secret gym routine that allowed them to gain more muscle, taller and look manlier, while he still looks like a girl and is now the shortest of the group (I seriously measured it, but SSB heights are so BS that you can really give them whatever height you want as long as Ike's the tallest one).
> 
> Fun fact! I always knew Marth was a guy. My introduction to him was a flash parody of "If you were gay". A bit hard to think he's a girl after that… Funnier fact, my little brother spent months thinking Marth was a girl. We had a bet and I won when I showed him the Marth's Wikipedia page.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	8. Chapter 3 - Dead Breeze - Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new island is unlocked, someone is pranked and an unexpected murder happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and extremely unexcited for school!

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan woke up still feeling tired from the trial. He wondered if the tiredness came from depression. Maybe he should ask Dr. Mario for some advice.

He flew to the restaurant feeling very hungry. He knew it was pretty selfish of him, but he hoped someone made breakfast. He was really going to miss Game & Watch's cooking.

When he entered the restaurant, he saw Dr. Mario baking what appeared to be scones. The doctor gave Duncan a scone telling him that he had earned it.

Duncan was grateful and sat down to eat it. Within a few minutes, everyone, including Monokuma, had gathered at the restaurant.

"Guys, we need to talk about something very important," the bear shouted, "Who the hell beat up my Monokuma beast?"

"Oh… That was me," Monomi admitted, "You kids have been giving me so much hope! I feel like I'm becoming more confident!"

"That's a terrible thing, Monomi! Let me fix that for you!"

Monokuma punched Monomi and she was sent flying out of the window. Monokuma jumped out of the window mumbling about getting revenge for his Monokuma beast.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone headed to the gate that led to the third island. The island appeared to be covered in lights. There was a mountain in the middle of the island covered in buildings. It reminded Duncan of photos he had seen where cities were overpopulated.

As he crossed the beach, Duncan realized most of the buildings looked worn out and abandoned. The ground was red and tumbleweeds came rolling from time to time. The island resembled a ghost town but with more modern buildings.

The first building Duncan entered was the hospital. It reminded him of hospitals from horror movies. It had a very eerie atmosphere. The creepiness made him want to check every inch of the building to make sure there wasn't a serial killer or a herd of zombies hiding somewhere inside.

"Eek! This place gives me the creeps!" Peach screamed, "How can you stay so calm, Sheik?"

"It's just a hospital."

"But it's so creepy! We should let an expert handle this place. This seems like the kind of place someone creepy like Ganondorf or Bowser would like."

"Wouldn't Dr. Mario like it here?" Duncan asked.

"You're right! He'd love it here! Maybe I can get him to check me up. All this stressing can't be good for my body. Let's go look for him, Sheik!"

Sheik and Peach left the hospital leaving Duncan alone. He was feeling really uncomfortable and decided to not explore it anymore. He was sure someone else would find something of interest in his stead.

* * *

The next building was a club called "Titty Typhoon". Duncan didn't know why anyone would give a club such an inappropriate name. Maybe it used to be a different kind of club at some point?

For some reason, the club had a parking. The whole island was becoming so confusing for Duncan. He hoped the next island they'd discover was more normal.

He entered the club and saw Ganondorf and Bowser messing with a control panel. They were changing all the light settings until they found one they liked.

"We can throw a badass party in here," Bowser laughed.

"We've even got drinks like tequila!" Ganondorf smirked.

"Yeah, about that," Monokuma said appearing out of nowhere, "You guys are not allowed to drink any drinks with alcohol."

"What!?"

"Those are the rules!"

"Whatever," Bowser pouted, "Coke is way better than tequila."

Duncan decided that for his own good, he shouldn't interact with those two. He instead chose to inspect the club. There was a big stage where concerts could be held. A bar was standing not too far by. There were lots of alcoholic drinks, none of them looked nice.

Duncan chose to enter the staff only room which turned out to be a storage room. It was filled with all types of instruments such as guitars, keyboardsand drums. Items that could be used to set up the stage were also present in the room. Duncan didn't know what most of the objects were and decided to leave the room. Nothing seemed important anyway.

* * *

Duncan flew towards the closest building which was a motel. It seemed really pointless, not helped by the fact that it had a parking.

"Why is this place full of parkings if there are no roads for cars?" Duncan asked himself.

"Maybe Monokuma removed them." Nana answered walking towards the duck, "I don't think any of us can drive anyway."

"I can drive," Falco bragged as he joined in the conversation, "There's a rusty old car in one of the parking places. It fits in perfectly with this motel."

"It's so dirty. I think I'll get sick if I go inside."

"We probably shouldn't go in it," Duncan advised.

The trio decided to go to the Electric Ave next door. There, they found an overly excited Pichu. He was looking at all the electronics with sparkles in his eyes.

"This place is the best!" the pokemon grinned, "There's so much stuff! Phones, microwaves, TVs, camera, computers, video games! So much!"

"There really is a lot," Falco commented, "There's even spyware here. This could be of use. We could install them so that we can easily solve mysteries."

"You're right!" Nana smiled, "Monokuma has his cameras, so we should be allowed to have our own!"

"We should be careful while installing them," Duncan added, "I think there are places where they shouldn't be placed."

"Let's check if we have Wifi!" Pichu suggested, "We could contact someone to come save us!"

"What a great idea!" Nana cheered.

Falco got a laptop and turned it on. He tried multiple browsers but none of them worked. Duncan noticed an unusual shortcut on the desktop and asked Falco to click it. A box full of text appeared on screen.

**The Worst, Most Despair Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind**

**Everything began with the riots caused by students. The riots took place at the Hope's Peak Academy Brawl Branch. They were started by students from a reserve course with supporters from different schools. They demanded to be treated fairly.**

**The riots were quickly stopped and after long negotiations, a solution was found. Everything was peaceful until spring. Riots started again. But instead of demanding fair treatment, the students were claiming they worshiped despair and Monokuma. We suspect someone within Hope's Peak is responsible for the riots. The childish nature of the riots makes it likely that a student is behind this.**

**Our efforts to find who was responsible ended in vain. The riots spread to a national level and quickly became international. They appear to have lost any true purpose. Some people claim they're rioting for equal treatment, others to make a statement and others simply for despair. Despite the unknown purpose of the revolts, the timing and places of the riots suggest it's all part of a plan.**

**D#3 t0 411 the r!0t$, 411 0f H0p3'$ P34k'$ 3$t4b1!$hm3nt$ w3r3 f0rc3d t0 $h#t d0wn.**

**$!xt33n $#rv!v!ng $t#d3nt$ w3r3 f0rc3d !nt0 4 k!11!ng g4m3 t0 br!ng m0r3 d3$p4!r t0 th3 w0r1d.**

**Th3y g3d t0 4v0!d b3c0m!ng R3mn nt$ 0f D3sp4!r, b#t 2#* */$# $ #$%!**

The text became completely corrupted after that line. It was unreadable and left its four readers confused. What did all that mean? How had they never heard about any riots before?

"Upupu! I bet you're all confused!"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Falco asked full of anger, "What the hell does this mean? Are we the only remaining students? What's a Remnant of Despair?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?"

"I don't get any of it! Can't you make it clearer?" Pichu complained.

"If you put some effort into remembering, you'd understand?"

"Are you implying we're missing memories?" Duncan quacked.

"I've spoken too much! Upupu, you'll find out soon!"

The bear left leaving the four students confused. They had to make sure to tell everyone about their discovery.

* * *

The final building left to visit was the movie theater. A huge poster on the outside was promoting a movie about Monomi.

Duncan entered the theater. He was greeted by the smell of fresh pop corn and soft drinks. It had been a long time since the duck had been to the cinema. He couldn't recognize any of the posters except the one for Super Bash Sisters Ultimate.

"Guys, look! There's a poster for the new Super Bash Sisters game!" Roy shouted as he ran into the theater.

"There are video games in cinemas?" Marth asked following Roy, "I thought there were only supposed to be movies?"

"Have you ever been to one before?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Great, let's go watch a movie," Link smirked as he made his way inside, "Wanna join us, Duncan?"

"Um, if that's fine with you guys."

Roy and Marth went to get pop corn while Link and Duncan waited. Sheik entered the theater and Link greeted her.

"What's up, Sheik?"

"I'm looking for Peach."

"Why don't you take a break with us? We're gonna watch a movie. Want to turn this into a super ultra romantic five person date?" Link joked.

"Make it six!" Peach yelled as she flung the doors open.

"Never mind… Let's just go somewhere else."

"Upupu! You can't," Monokuma laughed as he entered the theater, "If you come in, you've got to watch a movie. Unless you buy my sticker for 10 million yen!"

Duncan was seriously flabbergasted by Monokuma's suggestion. He doubted anyone had that amount of money on them and who would want to buy a sticker for 10 million yen. Just what went through Monokuma's head?

Marth offered to buy six stickers, but Monokuma didn't allow it. The bear decided he really wanted people to attend the premiere of his movie. He ended up forcing everyone to watch the movie.

Once everyone sat down in annoyance, the ads started. Duncan felt dumb for expecting no ads, Monokuma was obsessed with despair and ads were a great source of despair. Why would Monokuma ever pass on such an easy opportunity to spread despair? Nothing was more despairing than sitting in the cinema waiting for a movie to start after all.

Duncan really hoped he'd fall asleep, but destiny didn't allow it. He ended up watching all the ads. Sheik and Link also being awake gave him some relief. It was nice to know he wasn't suffering alone.

After 20 minutes the ads were finally over. Duncan and Sheik sighed in relief while Link shouted about the ads finally being over. The shouting caused Marth and Roy to wake up and drop their popcorn in surprise.

The movie started and nobody was engrossed in it. The soundtrack was awful and so were the graphics. However, they seemed amazing next to Monokuma's terrible narration.

* * *

Master, Crazy, Despair, Hope. Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Despair nation attacked. Only Monomi, master of the four elements, could defeat the Despair nation. But when the world needed her most, she left to go to the toilet.

When she returned, 99% of the population had already submitted to despair. But Monomi could not give up hope! She had to fight the eleven bosses of despair in order to save the sixteen remaining citizens of the Hope nation. So, she came up with a perfect plan.

She killed the first boss at night so that his death would be a surprise to the world. She shot the second one in front of a crowd. The third one was killed in broad daylight with poison. She made sure that no trace of the fourth boss would be found after she killed him in public. The fifth boss died at night because of asphyxiation. She burned the sixth boss alive while others watched. She accidentally killed the seventh boss. She crushed the eighth boss in front of his friends. She killed the ninth boss in the most mysterious way possible. She tore apart the tenth making sure people saw her do it.

After defeating the first ten bosses, only one was left. After taking a trip through a dumpster, she managed to convince the eleventh boss to kill herself while broadcasting the event to the whole world.

Monomi was worshiped as a hero. With the help of the sixteen Hopians, she rebuilt society and everyone lived happily ever after.

But, wait! It turned out a majority of the Hopians were actually Despairians now! They killed Monomi and made me, Monokuma, the supreme leader of the world!

The end!

* * *

"Well… That sucked balls," Link said.

"Let's leave," Marth suggested, "This was a waste of time."

"Upupu! You can't do that! You have to sit through the credits. You don't want to miss the post-credits scene! It's the best part!"

Everyone was forced to sit and watch the credits that rolled very slowly. However, the music was the worst part. At first, everyone thought the song was very long, but after a few minutes, it became apparent that the song was being looped.

"I can't stand this song anymore," Duncan complained.

"Me either," Peach agreed, "It's getting worse and worse."

"How much more time will we have to spend listening to this?" Sheik asked.

As she finished her question, the song ended and a new song started playing. As soon as everyone realized this, they started crying in joy.

"I thought it was never going to end," Roy sighed in relief.

"I never thought I'd see you two crying because of a song," Link admitted.

"S-shut up, you're crying too!" Marth pointed out.

"I-I'm not!"

The joy was short lived. Two minutes later, the song was over and the first one started playing again. Everyone screamed as they heard the way too familiar song.

"God, fucking damn it! What the fuck do we have to do to end this god damn motherfucking shit?" Marth yelled in agony.

"Don't yell so fucking loud!" Roy shouted, "You're making it all worse!"

"That's your problem? You sure have the right priorities in life," Link joked.

"How is that possible?" Peach asked, "Roy should tell Marth to stop swearing so much."

"Everyone shut up!" Sheik ordered.

Duncan's didn't know what to do anymore. The song was getting worse by the second and everyone kept yelling. He knew he couldn't just sit still and do nothing while everyone was agonizing.

So, he decided to take a risk. He flew towards the projector and found a button to speed up the credits. He made sure to return it to normal speed right before the post-credits scene.

* * *

Fifteen figures were standing in front of a broken building. They appeared to be waiting for someone. A person arrived carrying a broken robot. They threw it in front of the group and told them it was time to do "it" all over again.

* * *

As soon as the scene finished, the six students rushed out of the cinema. Monokuma had ruined movies for them and they didn't want to step foot in a cinema ever again. Sheik suggested looking for Dr. Mario and finding out if he had a way to cure them of their PTSD.

The six went to the creepy hospital hoping to find the doctor. He wasn't in the reception, so the group had to walk through the hallway.

Unlike the reception, the hallway was completely white and spotless. There was a window allowing anyone to look at what operation was taking place. When Duncan looked, he saw Monokumas operating on another Monokuma. The hospital had just turned a thousand times creepier.

The group looked at all the rooms on the ground floor, but there was no sign of Dr. Mario. This meant they had to go to the first floor. Luckily for them, Dr. Mario just came out of the storage room.

After an hour of "counseling", everyone was feeling better. The whole class met up for dinner and everyone discussed their findings. The students that hadn't gone to the theater all agreed to go the next day while making sure to bring iPods.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan returned to his cottage feeling extremely exhausted. He really was never going to see cinemas the same way as before. He really hated Monokuma for all the crap he had been doing. But he couldn't let the bear win, he didn't want anyone to despair.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan groaned as he got up. He wished Monokuma could at least change the announcement instead of having it be the exact same every day.

After breakfast, Duncan felt like hanging out with someone. He found Sheik in Titty Typhoon and she agreed to spend some time with him.

Sheik had found a harp and played some music for Duncan to dance to. She taught the duck how to play some simple songs on several different instruments. They played for an hour before deciding to take a break.

"I didn't expect you to know this much about music," Duncan admitted, "You never really looked like much of a music person."

"I'm not surprised. Peach said the exact same thing to me."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you learn to play?"

"It's in the family. All though, a close friend made me become more interested in music. She taught me the first song I played."

"The lullaby?"

"Yeah, it was her favorite. I'd love to introduce her to Peach. I think they'd get along."

"I find it kinda funny that you both get along so well. You're like complete opposites. Peach is loud and expressive, while you're quiet and calm."

"It seems to be a common trend to be best friends with your someone who's your opposite on this island. You and Duncan were quite different. He was friendly, open and positive while you were more cautious and pessimistic. All though, I think he's rubbed off on you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, it's pretty common for friends characteristics to rub off on you."

"Hm, if that's the case… I look forward to seeing you in a frilly pink dress while Peach is dressed in blue."

"That's not happening. Call me when you've changed species."

The rest of the morning was spent joking around, playing and dancing.

* * *

After eating lunch, Duncan found Link playing video games in the hotel lobby.

"What game are you playing?" Duncan asked not recognizing the game that was being played.

"An amazing game which Super Bash Sisters totally ripped off," Link answered sarcastically, "Wanna play with me?"

The two played and chatted at the same time.

"I think I should tell you about one of the funny things that have happened to me, but there are way too many."

"You must have a pretty exciting and eventful life."

"It's more like bizarre. Some days are crazy, especially when I'm hanging out with my cousins. Others are so boring that watching paint dry is more interesting. All though, these days have been pretty crazy and not in a good way. Yesterday was pretty fun for a change."

"You actually found yesterday fun?"

"Seeing Marth and Roy cry before losing their shit was pretty funny. Kinda made all the suffering worth it. I wish I could have recorded that moment."

"Weren't you crying too?"

"W-what!? I-It wasn't because of the music. I… I was just thinking about how much I miss Epona."

"Who's Epona?"

"She's my horse. She's kinda my best friend too. She'll listen to all my rants without complaining to her cousins about them while I'm not there."

"Do you rant to your cousins a lot?"

"All the time. It's a shame they're all pretty quiet. Except for Dick, but no one likes him anyway. I think you'd get along the best with Time. He's a genius and pretty nice. He's the only one that doesn't complain about my rants. He's kinda like a big brother to me."

The two continued playing until Link got hungry and decided to go eat some snacks.

* * *

Duncan was feeling pretty hungry too, so he went to Rocketpunch Market in search of something to eat. He was eating some delicious chips when Marth came in running.

"Are you running away from something?" Duncan asked.

"You could say so. I'm playing a mix of hide-and-seek, tag, and a water balloon fight."

"With Link and Roy?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"You three hang out all the time. You guys are so close it's as though you've known each other for years."

"For some reason, it does feel like that. Maybe it's cause we get to do all kinds of silly stuff together. I never got to play these types of games back in Altea."

"Why not?"

"My father was really strict and didn't want me playing silly games with my friends. I know he only wanted the best for me, but… I'm sorry, I've made this conversation really depressing. Let's talk about something happier."

"Um, sure."

Duncan couldn't help but feel that Marth was hiding something dark. Was his life back in Altea so horrible he wouldn't want to talk about it?

"How are you enjoying living as a normal teen?" Duncan asked catching Marth off guard.

"Uh… If we ignore the killing game, I guess it's pretty fun. I should enjoy this time while it lasts. My sister isn't interested in ruling, so I'll be the next king of Altea."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, she's a few years older than me. She's a really kind and selfless person. You two would get along."

Marth and Duncan talked until a water balloon popping near them startled them.

Duncan ended up playing a hybrid between hide-and-seek, tag and a water balloon fight with Marth, Roy and Link. The group of friends played until it started getting dark before stopping to eat dinner.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan once again went to bed feeling exhausted. Every day felt longer and more exhausting. So much kept happening.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan got up ready for a new day on the island. He was unsure of what to do. Maybe he could hang out with someone.

After having breakfast, Duncan found Bowser swimming in the pool. The koopa agreed to hang out for the morning. They spent most of it swimming and playing in the water.

"You're actually a pretty nice guy," Duncan admitted, "You seem pretty scary at first but you're really not."

"Thanks, I guess… I'm not used to getting compliments."

"Why not? Do you live in a strict household or something?"

"Kinda… My talent doesn't really help either. Everyone always assumes that I'm some kind of monster."

"But you don't actually want to be perceived as one, do you?"

"It doesn't really matter what I want. I have to make my father proud. I have a reputation to live up to."

"It must be tough having to live like that. Is it something common among royalty and nobles?"

"I'm not sure. I think it depends on the family. If I had kids, I'd have them help me all the time."

"Help you with what?"

"With whatever. Whether it's kidnapping someone or saving someone, I'd let them help."

"That's pretty cool. I bet you'd make a great dad."

"T-thanks… Maybe I could hire you to assist me when we get out of here."

"I like the idea as long as it's not for something illegal."

"Hehe, thanks, bro! We should always keep in touch. If you need help kidnapping someone, you can count on me."

* * *

The two returned to the restaurant after drying off to join the others for lunch.

Duncan overheard Marth, Link and Roy talking about going to the pool. He knew this was the perfect opportunity for a prank. But he needed help to execute his plan.

The duck decided to ask Dr. Mario, Nana and Ganondorf for help. Nana was small and quick so she's be able to sneak around. Ganondorf was big and tall which meant he could carry and push heavy things with ease. Dr. Mario was well trusted and respected, he could hide in plain sight without anyone realizing he was in on the prank.

The three were intrigued by the idea of a prank and agreed to help Duncan with his prank. They made a quick stop to the Electric Ave to get some cameras before starting the prank.

* * *

Roy and Marth went to Rocketpunch Market to get some necessary equipment while Link prepared a picnic. Marth had given Roy a list of what they needed. But when Roy reread it, he could swear there were more items than he remembered.

The redhead shrugged it off as Marth just being Marth and wanting to have more stuff. Some of items on the list seemed questionable, but he didn't want to get into another argument with the prince.

Roy grabbed a big bag in which he put balls, inflatable toys, a tennis racket, an air pump, shampoo, drinks, snacks, towels, a first aid-kit, flip flops, shark plushies, kickboards and an inflatable donut.

The last item on the list was sunscreen. There was only one problem. The sunscreens were placed to high for Roy to reach.

He tried climbing on the shelves but to no avail. He kept falling down.

"Hey, Marth, can you help me get the sunscreen?"

"You still haven't gotten it? What have you been doing this whole time?"

The redhead pointed to the list and then to the bag. Marth seemed confused. He didn't remember having written that much.

Marth tried reaching the sunscreen but he was also too short.

"Maybe if you let me stand on your shoulders, I can reach the sunscreen," Marth suggested.

"What? Shouldn't I stand on yours instead? You're taller than me."

"Well… I don't want your shoes making my clothes dirty."

"What makes you think I want yours doing the same to mine?"

The two ended up arguing for five minutes while the pranksters caught everything on tape before knocking the shelf over to get the sunscreen.

"Damn, I didn't expect arguments this early," Ganondorf whispered.

"It's going to get even better later on," Duncan smirked.

* * *

Roy and Marth met up with Link at the pool. They ate their picnic before preparing themselves to enter the pool.

Link was trying to inflate the donut, but the donut didn't want to be inflated. The only thing that Link managed to inflate was a giant banana.

Roy was about to put on some sunscreen when he noticed a weird smell. He opened the sunscreen bottle and found ketchup in it. He decided it would be perfect for a prank.

"Hey, Marth! Let me help you with the sunscreen!" Roy smiled as he ran towards his friend before tripping on the giant banana and dropping the bottle.

"Ew, why's there ketchup instead of sunscreen?" Marth asked.

"My banana! You ruined it!" Link shouted.

After getting another bottle of sunscreen, the three friends finally got to spend some time in the pool. They played different games for an hour before deciding they wanted some ice cream. Roy volunteered to get some. As he got out of the pool, he noticed his towel was gone.

"Hey, Marth? Can I use your towel?" Roy asked.

"Fine, but don't make it dirty."

* * *

Roy entered the restaurant where he saw Dr. Mario. He asked the doctor where the ice cream was and the doctor offered to help him.

"Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are pretty boring," Roy sighed at the disappointing ice cream selection, "Maybe I should take these ice lollies instead..."

"If you put sauce and sprinkles on them, I'm sure they'll be more interesting. Try using these," Dr. Mario said as he gave Roy a box full of sprinkles and sauces.

"Is there a certain amount I should put?"

"No, feel free to put as much as you want."

"Thanks for your help."

* * *

Roy gave Marth and Link their ice creams. The two looked at the ice cream with confusion. Why did Roy put so many sprinkles?

The three ate the ice cream only to realize it was absolutely disgusting.

"This is disgusting. The sprinkles don't even taste like sugar," Link complained.

"This sauce burns. Why did you use hot sauce instead of strawberry sauce?" Marth glared.

"B-but Mario told me it would taste better," Roy stuttered, "Maybe he accidentally gave me hot sauce instead of strawberry sauce?"

"Sure… It's not as though this is another one of your pranks. Can I have my towel back?"

"Um… It's gone."

"Of course, it's magically gone now."

"My towel is gone too!" Link noticed, "They must have totally been blown away by the wind."

"We totally would have never noticed that if it was the case!"

The pranksters were recording from a bush, unnoticed by anyone.

"How can they be so oblivious?" Nana gasped, "I was pretty sure at least one of them would have seen me."

"You're just that good," Duncan smiled.

* * *

A few hours later, Dr. Mario called everyone for dinner outside. He said he wanted to show everyone something special. He purposely called Roy last.

"Sorry, I'm late!" the redhead apologized as he ran towards the others.

He noticed Duncan standing in front of him. The duck was staring at a ladybug seemingly unaware of what was going on around him. Roy jumped over the duck to avoid hurting him only to realize what a terrible mistake that was.

When he landed, he tripped and fell into the pool. Marth and Link rushed to help him get out.

"Roy, are you okay?" Marth asked full of worry.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just a bit cold," Roy shivered.

"You should go change, you look like shit," Link sighed, "Marth and I will make sure no one steals your food."

The redhead walked towards his cottage. On his way, he crossed paths with Duncan.

"Not bad for your first solo prank," Roy smiled.

"It wasn't really a solo prank, but I was the mastermind this time. I've still got a lot to learn," Duncan smiled back.

"I'm looking forward to your next one."

"I won't disappoint!"

The rest of the evening was spent watching all the footage that had been recorder by the four pranksters. The warm atmosphere and all the laughter made the twelve students appear like normal students enjoying a night-out with friends.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan gathered his three helpers to thank them. He was grateful they had agreed to help him. Despite the fact that pranks were born from malicious intent, Duncan thought it brought him and his classmates closer.

"You're welcome, Duncan!" Nana grinned, "It was really fun. I've never pranked anyone before. I really wish I could have pranked Popo at least once when he was still alive… But I'm sure wherever he is now, he's watching me and smiling. He must be proud that I can find joy and still remember him… I think I should be the one thanking you, Duncan. Without you, I don't think I would have found hope again. You're a great friend."

Nana hugged Duncan to thank him and the duck hugged back.

"Aw, man..." Ganondorf groaned, "Sappy lovey things aren't my thing. But I guess, you're welcome, Duncan. Today was pretty darn fun."

"I also enjoyed this prank," Dr. Mario smiled, "Sometimes, a doctor needs a short break from saving lives. It's healthy to relax and have fun from time to time. Just make sure you don't lose sight of what's important and choose your prank victims carefully. You probably shouldn't prank someone who's really depressed."

"I'll make sure to remember that advice," Duncan politely nodded, "Thank you again."

Duncan returned to his cottage feeling exhausted. He had had a really fun day. He wished the fun days could last forever.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan woke up feeling weird. He felt like something was off but he was unsure what was wrong.

As he exited his cottage and saw the pool, he started to freak out. He didn't remember water being so scary, he didn't want to be anywhere near the pool or any water. He dreaded the fact that he was on an island surrounded by water. It was the absolute worst.

* * *

Once he entered the restaurant, he felt relieved and slightly more normal. However, it seemed the others weren't feeling  _that_  normal.

"Marth's trying to strangle Roy!" Link cried before noticing Duncan staring at him, "Eek! Duncan is looking at me! He's planning to kill me! Someone help me!"

"I'm not strangling Roy, I'm hugging him! Let me give you a hug to make you feel better," Marth said as he let go of Roy and walked towards Link.

"No! Don't strangle me!"

"Strangle him!" Roy cheered, "That would be so fun to watch! Might be even more fun if I do the strangling!"

Duncan was confused by the trio's behavior. They were acting like completely different people. The duck made sure to check on the others to confirm a suspicion he had.

He walked towards Peach who was eating breakfast with Sheik and Nana. He asked her if she felt all right and she replied with the worst pun imaginable.

"Off course!"

"Sheik, may you pass the NaCl?" Nana asked.

Instead of passing the salt, Sheik threw the salt in the trash.

"Oh, no. The salt is in the trash," Mario noted without any emotion in his voice.

"Who cares? It's like so annoying!" Falco whined, "I'm like so tired of all you guys' attitude today."

Duncan continued looking for everyone when he heard a deep voice calling him.

"H-hey, Duncan?" Ganondorf stuttered shyly, "D-do you know what's going on?"

"I for one have no idea!" Bowser admitted, "All I know is I can't lie for some reason."

The restaurant was getting louder by the second. Everyone was freaking out (or having fun in Roy's case). The only exception was Pichu who remained calm. So calm, it felt unnatural. The room was only silenced when Monokuma appeared.

"Yo, what is up?" the bear greeted.

"Oh, no! It's Monokuma! We're all going to die!" Link screamed.

"Just what have you done to us?" Duncan asked.

"Upupu! I didn't do anything. You brought this upon yourselves. That's what happens when you diss my epic movie! You get the despair disease!"

"This is the motive, right?" Nana concluded.

"Only part of it! There's an awesome second part! I bet you'll all love it."

"I guess it's safe to assume we'll hate it..."

"You guys get no privacy until someone dies! You have to be with at least one person all the time. Even while taking showers, going to the toilet and doing your private stuff."

"H-how can you suggest us doing such disgusting acts?"

"Well, this is the perfect opportunity to get it on… But I suppose we should keep this family friendly. Anyway! If you're in a room all alone, you'll get executed!"

The bear left and Monomi made an appearance. She reassured the students that everything would be fine.

"I think you guys should decide who spends time with whom. Four groups of three people would be ideal."

"That's a good idea," Nana agreed, "I guess us girls should stay together for obvious reasons."

"Aw, I wanted to spend time with Peach," Bowser revealed.

"If we're doing trios, I want to be with Marth and Link," Roy smiled with sadism written all over his face.

"N-no way! You're planning to kill us in our sleep!" Link shouted.

"Yay! We're together!" Marth cheered.

"Ganondorf and I are obviously going to be together," Bowser announced.

"B-but we need someone c-calm to keep everything in check," Ganondorf stuttered.

The two big guys stared at the very calm Pichu.

"Me?"

* * *

Dr. Mario, Falco and Duncan were the only ones left, so they were forced to be together in a group. They decided they should spend the time away from any water, so they went to the base house. Since they had a whole day left, they tried figuring out what was everyone's disease.

**Duncan: Fear of Water**

**Dr. Mario: Emotionless**

**Falco: Valley Girl speech pattern**

**Ganondorf: Shy**

**Bowser: Can only tell the truth**

**Marth: Overly affectionate?**

**Roy: Sadistic**

**Link: Coward**

**Peach: Puns?**

**Sheik: Useless or idiot**

**Nana: Smart**

**Pichu: Calm**

"I am like totally not a valley girl," Falco argued as he read the list that had been written, "Wait… Why can I like only speak like this? This is so not like what my brain is like thinking!"

"I guess we got some of the least disturbing diseases," Mario noted without any interest, "Ours don't stop us from thinking or acting normally for the most part."

"I think we should check out how the others are doing," Duncan suggested, "It would be a good idea to confirm what everyone's disease."

* * *

The trio walked around the islands searching for the other groups. Duncan made sure to only look at the ground while walking, the sea made him want to cry.

They managed to find Bowser, Ganondorf and Pichu at Titty Typhoon. They were attempting to play music, but Ganondorf was too nervous to touch the piano's keyboard.

"I-I can't do this," the Gerudo stuttered, "I-It's… It's not possible."

"Well, I'm going to take a nap," Pichu announced, "Wake me up when something interesting happens."

"Don't leave me alone!" Bowser shouted, "I can't stand this anymore!"

* * *

Duncan, Falco and Dr. Mario quickly left as they didn't want to get involved with those three. They ran into the girls at the diner. They were studying something. Nana explained that she thought there was more to the diseases than just what they had seen.

"When Peach speaks, she can only speak in puns. But when she writes, she writes normally. As for Sheik, only her actions appear to be affected. She can answer questions normally, but she can't do anything of use."

"So, there are special conditions or something like that?" Duncan asked.

"Yes, they all appear to be different based on the disease. If I remember correctly, I haven't seen Link be afraid of any objects, just people."

"We'll like totally go check on him," Falco smirked, "We are like so gonna figure out this disease."

The trio was looking for Link, but he ended up finding them. The trio was in the base when Link came in running. He claimed Roy and Marth wanted to strangle him.

"Uh, Link?" Duncan asked, "How did you know there would people in here?"

"I didn't! I was so scared I wasn't even thinking… I-I just ran in here and you guys happened to be here. W-wait! Are you guys planning to kill me too?"

"There you are, Link!" Marth shouted as he kicked the door open, "We're not trying to strangle you! We just want to hug you!"

"Don't listen to Marth! We're here to strangle you!" Roy grinned.

"Can like everyone calm down!?" Falco ordered everyone.

"You dare give  _me_  an order?" Marth glared suddenly changing personality, "Peasants don't have the right to order me."

"L-like what's gotten into you?"

"He becomes like this any time he speaks to someone who isn't me or Link," Roy explained, "I would have told you guys, but I thought seeing your reactions would be funny."

"I like almost had a heart attack, Roy!"

"Eeek! Roy, don't go around giving people heart attacks!" Link screamed, "If you have a Death Note, get rid of it! You'll curse us all!"

* * *

An hour later, everyone gathered for dinner to discuss how they'd spend the night. The most popular suggestion was to have each group have their own place to sleep. The girls were the first ones to decide where they wanted to sleep. They decided to choose the base since it had a toilet and a kitchen. Bowser, Ganondorf and Pichu chose the beach house because it had a beach where they could play. Roy claimed the hospital belonged to his group because it was the creepiest place to spend the night. Duncan, Falco and Mario agreed to sleep in the motel. They were hoping it would have nice beds.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

When the trio arrived at the motel, they noticed the rooms were surprisingly clean and well keptunlike the exterior. Each room had two beds, so Dr. Mario and Falco built a tiny bed for Duncan.

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan, Falco and Dr. Mario all woke up feeling slightly less tired than the night before. They were heading to the cafeteria when they ran into Ganondorf and Bowser carrying Pichu.

"We need your help!" Bowser shouted, "Someone tried to kill Pichu last night!"

Pichu was taken to the hospital where Dr. Mario took care of Pichu. Pichu had apparently been strangled during the night, but he somehow survived. Mario told the others to go have breakfast and to bring some food afterwards.

* * *

All the other students were having breakfast in the cafeteria. Or at least attempting to have breakfast. No one actually knew how to cook.

"Who wants some of my pun-cakes?" Peach smiled as she showed some badly made pancakes.

"Link wants some!" Roy decided.

"W-what? But she probably poisoned them to kill me!"

"Fine, I'll make you some myself."

The choices for breakfast ended up being undercooked pancakes and burnt pancakes. Neither looked good, so everyone just covered them with lots of honey and nutella.

"Like, what is up with that totally disgusting smell?" Falco asked as he entered the restaurant.

"I'm glad you hate the smell," Roy smirked, "It's Peach's disgusting pun-cake's smell. Eat my pancakes instead. They're great! Everyone's choosing them over Peach's!"

"My pun-cakes are not diss-gust-ING!"

"Everyone's choosing yours because there are fewer health risks," Nana explained, "If you eat too much of something that's undercooked, you can get very sick. No one's willing to take the risk. Peach's probably taste better."

"Don't worry I love your pancakes, Roy" Marth reassured his friend.

* * *

After looking through the window and concluding that there was no visible water in the restaurant, Duncan entered. He explained to everyone what had happened to Pichu and took them to visit the young electrician at the hospital.

Pichu was doing better, all though it was hard to notice with him acting so calmly. He didn't know who had tried to kill him during the night.

Dr. Mario said that Pichu needed to rest for the day, so everyone else left the hospital. They decided to hold a meeting in the base to discuss who might have been behind the murder attempt.

"I think there might be a side effect to this disease we all have," Duncan suggested, "Maybe it makes us go insane at night if we don't sleep?"

"That can't be it," Roy disagreed, "Link said he barely got any sleep because he was scared, but he never tried to attack anyone."

"I think there might be a necessary condition to go insane," Nana hypothesized, "Like something that triggers a 'murderer' state. It could be a word, a sound, a feeling, anything really."

"Great, now we're never going to find out who the secret murderer here is!" Link cried, "We're all going to die!"

"I like wanna know what we can like do to prevent another murder," Falco stated, "I am like so not going to tolerate another death."

"I don't think there's anything we can do..." Duncan admitted, "Monokuma has placed us in a situation where someone has to die for us to continue. We might be stuck with this disease until someone eventually passes away."

"What an un-bear-able bear!" Peach shouted, "I h-eight him!"

"Marth, these people need your hope speeches," Sheik said.

"I don't give hope speeches to peasants. Roy, give them a speech," Marth ordered.

"All right! Guys, no one should kill. Because killing is boring. It's no fun since the person can't feel anything when they're dead. So instead, we should just hurt each other, but not me. Hurting people is way more fun! So, don't lose hope! If you lose it, you won't be able to hurt people anymore!"

Everyone just stared at the redhead in silence.

"Great speech, I know."

* * *

The meeting didn't bring anyone closer to finding out who had attempted to kill Pichu. Duncan was pretty upset that a potential murderer could still be among them. He returned to the motel and decided to take a nap while Falco played on a phone he had found.

A knock on the door abruptly woke Duncan up. Falco opened it and saw Link looking even more worried than usual. The blond claimed Marth had gone insane as he pointed towards an angry Marth fighting Roy with a kitchen knife.

"W-what happened?" Duncan asked, "What did you do?"

"I made a princess Martha joke," Roy smiled as he dodged Marth's attacks, "Marth didn't really like it. So, now he's trying to kill me. I've tried making reverse jokes, hugging him, complimenting his tiara but nothing works."

"I-I tried to stop Roy but he threatened to beat me up," Link cried, "Now, Marth's going to kill him and after that, he'll come for us!"

"So, we've got to stop him. I've got an idea," Duncan quacked, "Roy, can you distract Marth for a few more minutes?"

"Only if I get to pluck out all your feathers afterwards."

"Deal."

* * *

Duncan, Link and Falco entered the motel and rushed to the bathroom. Duncan told Link and Falco to fill up the bathtub while he didn't watch. Water made him really uneasy but it was essential for the plan to work. He could deal with the sound of water for a minute or two.

"Roy, you can like come in!" Falco shouted, "But like be careful with the water on the floor. You'll like totally trip."

"I think tripping is the least of my worries right now," Roy said as he entered the motel covered in injuries, "Am I supposed to throw a hair dryer in the tub or something? I think it would be pretty funny."

"That would like kill you. Just get Marth in it or like something like that. Push him in if that's what you like wanna do."

Roy jumped on top of the bathtub to avoid the water, grabbed the showerhead and turned it on.

"Hey, Marth. Why won't you take a shower with me? It would be a shame if you got some dirt on your hair while you kill me," the redhead taunted.

"I think I'll take one afterwards. I'd rather turn the bathtub red like blood."

"Cool, that's fine too. So, how about you get inside while I turn this off."

Falco, Duncan and Link were listening to the conversation when they heard two screams and a loud splash. They waited for a minute before seeing what was happening in the bathroom.

When they entered the bathroom, they saw Marth and Roy laughing in the bathtub and joking about how cold the water was. The three sighed in relief before noticing something wrong.

"I'm not afraid of water anymore," Duncan spoke up.

"I can speak normally now," Falco cried in joy.

"Aw, I'm like totally gonna miss valley girl Falco. Valley girl Falco was like totally the best! Yas queen!" Link joked as he ignored Falco's death glare.

"I-it's getting colder in here," Marth shivered as he got up, "Let's go change."

"Yeah, if we stay here any longer we'll catch a cold," Roy told his friend as he got out of the tub, "Good thing we left some clothes at the hospital."

"We'll go tell Mario to check on you two once you're done," Duncan smiled.

"Thanks."

* * *

The five teens walked to the hospital. It was getting dark outside, so they sped up to avoid getting too cold. Inside the building, Roy and Marth went to the second floor to change while the other three looked for Dr. Mario.

Duncan opened a door before being met with an unbelievable scene. Pichu had a rope tied around his neck and was hanging from the ceiling.

"Pichu, no!" Duncan shouted as he flew towards the yellow pokemon.

Duncan could hear light breathing and he asked Falco and Link to help him get Pichu down. Pichu was barely conscious, but as soon as his neck was set free, he gasped for air. He spent five minutes breathing as the others watched over him.

"W-what happened?" Pichu stuttered full of fright once he felt better, "D-did someone try to kill me again?"

"It seems to be the case. Someone hung you and left you here by yourself," Duncan explained.

"Wait, guys," Falco said as he was hit by an epiphany, "If Pichu was by himself, how is he not dead?"

" **A body has been discovered! After some investigation time, the trial will begin! Good luck, you bastards!"**

"That's how he survived. Someone was already dead," Link explained, "We should take Pichu to Dr. Mario before looking for the body."

Falco carried Pichu as the group searched for Dr. Mario. They had looked through half the rooms when Roy and Marth ran towards them.

"G-guys, there's something weird going on," Roy started, "The announcement only played once, but there are two bodies."

"How is that possible? Where are they?" Duncan asked.

The five teenagers entered a room where they were greeted by two dead bodies. Dr. Mario was hanging from the ceiling. His corpse was pale with no signs of life in it. Nana was lying on the floor with no visible injuries. She wasn't breathing or moving. Her body was completely lifeless.

" **A body has been discovered! After some investigation time, the trial will begin! Good luck, you bastards!"**

"T-this can't be real," Duncan stuttered as he stared at the corpses that once belonged to his friends.

He had to find the killer. He couldn't let them get away. Not after killing two of his classmates. He was going to make sure the truth would be known. Hope needed to triumph over despair once again.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Link: Finally! The ads are over!

Roy & Marth: ( _wake up and drop the popcorn_ )

Link: No! Our popcorn! Good thing I just happened to take a packet of gummy bears!

Roy: What? But what are we supposed to eat while watching the movie?

Link: Dunno! I'm not-

Marth: ( _steals the gummy bear packet and starts eating them_ ) These actually taste pretty good. Want some Roy.

Roy: Thanks, Marth! You're such a great friend, unlike someone else I know.

Link: Excuse me? Good friends don't steal their friend's gummy bears.

Roy: Good friends share in the first place!  
Link: Good friends make sure to not drop all the popcorn on the floor!

Roy: Good friends don't wake up their friends when they're sleeping and holding popcorn!

Sheik: Can you guys shut up? I'm trying to watch the movie!

Peach: Y-you're actually interested in it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ack! This took lots of time to write. It's way longer than I expected.
> 
> I ended up having Nana, Dr. Mario and Ganondorf help Duncan with the prank because they all had the same amount of votes.
> 
> I'm going to have the characters that didn't get much screen time investigate with Duncan next chapter.
> 
> I'm pretty hyped for SSBU! I really want to try out Richter. He looks fun, his personality and design make me like him more than Simon. I love how Sakurai trolled us with K. Rool's trailer. Also, Chrom's in Smash! He finally gets to join his wife, daughter and great great something Marth. He's what happens when Roy and Ike fuse together. The question is will he get the OHKO fully charged neutral special like Roy? If he does, I'll consider maining him alongside Roy, Marth, Kirby and Richter.
> 
> I'm going to England this weekend for my cousin's wedding, in early September I'm going to France for a school trip to study geology and in October I'm going to Mexico to lose all the progress I've made at the gym, visit my family and eat lots of tacos and frijoles. It's gonna be really busy this fall (and this is without taking into account all the exams), I'll try my best to get the new chapters out as fast as possible.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	9. Chapter 3 - Dead Breeze - Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan investigates with Peach's help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! For now...

Duncan stared at the dead bodies in front of him. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that someone had killed two of his classmates, almost three.

The duck was sure the killer was a very dangerous person. Getting away with one kill was hard enough, but two… Whoever was responsible had to be very smart and brave to pull it off.

As the rest of his classmates entered the room, Duncan couldn't help but feel a bit hopeless. Their expressions were so full of sorrow. Would everything really turn out all right this time?

"Duncan, are you okay?" Peach asked.

"Y-yeah," Duncan lied, "I should start investigating."

"You're right! We're all going to need your help, Detective Ducky!"

"Detective Ducky?"

"Yeah! You're kinda like one. Let's start this investigation."

Feeling pressured by Peach, Duncan looked at the Monokuma File.

**Truth Bullet #1 Nana and Mario both died from asphyxiation. The first victim died at 7 pm.**

_Of course, the Monokuma file had to be vague._

Duncan flew towards Mario's body. The rope was tied tightly around the doctor's neck. There was no way for Duncan to remove it. He gave up looking at it since nothing really stood out as important.

He checked out Nana's body afterwards. To get a better look at the girl's neck, the duck moved her hair out of the way. Her hair had been covering some very faint red marks. They were almost invisible even when up close.

**Truth Bullet #2 Faint red marks on Nana's neck were hidden by her hair.**

Duncan flew up towards the ceiling to get a better view. A small stool hidden behind a bed caught his attention. As he got closer, he noticed it was covered in dust with two clean spots. It looked as though it had been used before.

**Truth Bullet #3 A small dusty stool was hidden behind a bed. It has two clean spots.**

Duncan exited the room and saw Pichu. Duncan was sure that Pichu was essential to solving the case.

"Hey, Pichu? What's the last thing you remember before being hanged?"

"Hm… Oh! Nana gave me a glass of water! Afterwards, I took a nap and woke up when you guys found me! Can you believe someone tried to kill me?"

**Truth Bullet #4 Pichu's last memories are Nana giving him a glass of water before taking a nap.**

It was nice having normal Pichu back, but Duncan found the little guy's behavior inappropriate given the current situation. He shrugged it off assuming Pichu needed to burn some energy after having stayed calm for so long.

Peach ran up to Duncan saying that she had an idea on where to find clues. The two walked towards the base house while Peach recalled the last time she had seen Nana.

"She wanted to make sure Pichu was doing all right. On the way to the hospital, we saw Ganondorf and Bowser. They also wanted to visit Pichu and offered to take her to him. They must have left at around 4 pm. I spent the rest of my time with Sheik."

**Truth Bullet #5 Nana left with Ganondorf and Bowser to visit Pichu in the hospital at 4 pm.**

"Oh, we're here! Follow me."

Peach led Duncan to a room in the base. It had lots of scattered papers on the floor. Duncan picked some up and started reading.

**Pichu was definitely targeted by someone at night. I'm not sure who it might have been, but I believe that person was affected by some kind of "murderer" state.**

**While I'm not sure what triggers it, I'm sure it's a mindless state. The way to stop it is most likely for the affected person to believe they killed their victim. I believe that if they fail to kill their victim and go back to normal, they lose their memory. That would explain why everyone was acting "normally" the next morning.**

It looked like Nana was on to something. Duncan wasn't sure if was correct, but he was sure the little girl's notes would be of relevance to the trial.

**Truth Bullet #6 Nana believed that if someone was affected by the mindless "murderer" state, they'd lose their memories after failing to kill someone.**

Not finding anything else of interest, Duncan and Peach decided to leave the base. As they were exiting, they saw Ganondorf and Bowser.

"You guys find anything?" Ganondorf asked.

"Only some notes that might be relevant."

"I guess this could be of use to you guys," Bowser smiled, "Bowser and I left the hospital after ten minutes. We spent our time together until we suddenly noticed that we were back to normal. After that, we separated to look for the others."

"Sheik and I did the same," Peach added, "We were unsure of what had happened, so we split up to look for the rest of you guys."

**Truth Bullet #7 Ganondorf and Bowser left the hospital after ten minutes. They were together until they returned to normal.**

**Truth Bullet #8 Sheik and Peach split up after realizing they were cured.**

* * *

Peach and Duncan went to Pichu's hospital room. There were definitely going to be important clues in there.

Peach looked under the bed where she saw a box. She pulled it out and opened it. She found ropes that looked exactly like the one tied around Mario's neck.

**Truth Bullet #9 A box of ropes were found underneath Pichu's hospital bed.**

Duncan looked at the table where he saw a piece of paper. It was a note from Nana, but it wasn't the kind that you'd expect to find in a hospital room.

**The disease must be linked to the movie. There's a reason why Monokuma made us watch it. It was so that-**

The rest had been torn off.  _Of course, it had to be torn off_ , Duncan thought.

**Truth Bullet #10 Nana believed there was a link between the despair disease and the movie.**

Duncan sighed in annoyance and continued to examine the room. He managed to find a small box of sleeping pills. It looked like it had been opened before. The duck read the instructions and learned that the pills had to be dissolved in water in order to be consumed.

**Truth Bullet #11 There's an open box containing sleeping pills. They need to be dissolved in water before being used.**

The only thing left to inspect in the room was the stack of books on the table. He recognized one as being a notebook. It was Dr. Mario's notebook and some pages had been torn out.

**Truth Bullet #12 Dr. Mario's notebook has missing pages.**

"Duncan, don't you find it weird that some books have sticky notes in them?"

"You're right, Peach. I think there might be some important information in them."

Peach and Duncan opened the books and turned the pages until they reached the ones that had sticky notes on them.

"They're all on pages about asphyxiation," Peach remarked as she looked at all of the books, "I wonder if Dr. Mario did this..."

**Truth Bullet #13 Pages about asphyxiation have been marked with sticky notes.**

Duncan thought about Nana's notes again.  _Mindless murderer state… Movie and despair disease link… I should probably talk to Marth about the murderer state. But I don't want to watch the movie again…_

"Where do you think we should go?" Peach asked interrupting Duncan's thoughts.

"Um… The theater..."

"You don't seem to want to go there."

"I don't want to go… But according to Nana's notes, we can probably find some information there."

"All right! Let's go!"

* * *

Duncan and Peach entered the theater. It was almost dead silent but some faint laughing could be heard. The duo investigated the source of the laughter and wound up in the movie viewing room.

Duncan noticed a door that wasn't there before. He opened it and saw Marth, Roy, and Link watching something on a computer.

"You've gotta see this! It's the funniest thing ever!" Link laughed.

"It's the others reactions to the movie credits," Roy explained after managing to catch his breath.

"Ooh! I want to see that!" Peach grinned.

* * *

Nana, Ganondorf, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Falco, and Bowser were watching the credits roll. They appeared to be irritated with the music after five minutes.

"Why can't we leave?" Nana complained, "This movie is dumb!"

"The others were right, this is the worst," Falco groaned, "Your movie sucks balls, Monokuma!"

The group continued complaining until the song changed. There was a second of relief before they started complaining about it too.

"This song's just as bad as the first one!" Bowser yelled.

"It's just a slight improvement over the other one," Ganondorf admitted.

"Bro, what the fuck?"

As the song changed, the group shouted in unison.

"I can't take this anymore!" Pichu screamed as he jumped all around the room, "I'm just going to sing my own song! I wanna be the very best! Like no one ever was!"

"Mamma mia, I've never felt so many emotions because of credits," Dr. Mario sighed trying to keep himself calm.

"I can't believe Pichu forgot to bring the iPods," Falco whined, "This is all your fault, Pichu!"

"I don't care. I don't ca-a-a-are. Boy, I don't care!" Pichu sang.

"Pichu, what's gotten into you?" Nana asked, "Why won't you stop singing?"

"Todokete setsunasa ni wa, namae o-"

"I know that song!" Bowser gasped.

"I don't know what's worse," Ganondorf frowned, "Pichu's singing or the credits song."

"Despacito! Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito!"

"Pichu's really into short songs," Nana remarked as everyone else besides Pichu facepalmed.

The group sat through the entirety of the credits. They spent the whole time complaining about the credits. Somehow, it had kept them entertained during the nightmarish experience until the post-credits scene played.

Pichu was still singing while Falco tried to get the little guy to stop. The others ignored them and watched the scene.

"What do they mean by doing it again?" Nana asked.

"Something beyond your comprehension," Bowser smiled as he patted the little girl's head.

* * *

"I… I..." Peach stuttered before bursting into laughter, "I can't believe they sat through the whole credits."

"There doesn't appear to be a link between the movie and the disease..." Duncan sighed in disappointment.

"Ah! I forgot to focus on that!"

**Truth Bullet #14 There's no apparent link between the movie and the despair disease.**

The group exited the room because they couldn't find anything else of interest. Duncan walked up to Marth and asked him about the murderer state.

"Do you remember everything?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I tried to kill Roy."

"Could you think rationally? Did you feel in control?"

"I could think and communicate with no problem… But I didn't feel like myself. I felt like I was suffering and despairing the whole time."

"I see, thanks for the information."

**Truth Bullet #15 Marth could remember everything from when he was in the "murderer" state. He was also able to think and communicate.**

While Duncan was talking to Marth, Peach was trying to start a conversation with Link. The blond ignored the princess and instead talked to Roy.

"Do you think the snacks are still intact?" Link asked the redhead.

"I don't know. Maybe the killer ate them. I don't remember seeing the ladder or the ropes I brought when we were at the hospital."

"Why did you bring a ladder?"

"I was going to scare you with it."

"Duncan!" Peach shouted interrupting the conversation, "I think I've just got some important information! We should head to the hospital. Roy, where did you leave the ladder?"

"In the room where we found Mario and Nana."

"Let's go, Duncan!"

Peach picked Duncan up and sprinted out of the theater.

* * *

Peach slammed the hospital door open and ran to the top floor.

"He was right! The ladder is missing!"

Duncan and Peach searched the entire hospital, but to avail. The ladder was nowhere to be found.

**Truth Bullet #16 The ladder Roy brought to the hospital is missing.**

The duo ended up in Pichu's room. They hoped to find something they might have missed on their first visit. But there didn't seem to be anything.

Duncan looked out of the window. He sighed as he came to accept the fact that there was nothing left for him to find.

"Duncan, why are you looking at that dirty window?"

Duncan realized that the window he was looking was indeed dirty. As he opened the window to let some air in, he noticed marks on the frame.

**Truth Bullet #17 There are marks on the window frame. They appear to have been caused by a big object.**

Duncan looked out of the window and saw a metallic looking object. He smiled as he knew what it would be.

"Peach, I think I've found our missing ladder."

Peach and Duncan exited the hospital and went to the back where they found a damaged ladder.

**Truth Bullet #18 There's a damaged ladder outside the hospital.**

Satisfied with their discovery, the two friends made their way to the Monokuma rocks.

" **I'm bored to death. That means it's trial time! You know where to go!"**

* * *

Duncan and Peach arrived at the Monokuma rocks and waited for everyone to arrive. Duncan was starting to get worried, but Peach assured him that he'd be able to find the culprit. Despite the princess's attempts to cheer him up, he was sure the trial would be a hard one.

"You look so sad, Duncan," Monomi pointed out as she appeared, "Don't worry, I know you'll make it out alive!"

"Peach already tried cheering me up..."

"Ah! I'm so sorry. Well… Just make sure to not lose hope! You'll need it if you want to make it through this trial!"

Duncan tried ignoring the bunny, but he knew she had a point. If he lost all hope, he wouldn't be able to survive the trial.

"I wonder who the killer is," Peach said in an attempt to make the wait less awkward.

"I know who it is!" Bowser shouted as he ran towards Peach, "If you go on a date with me, I'll tell you who it is!"

"Ew, no! Hey, look! Link's coming I should ask him who he thinks the killer is!"

"It's obviously you!" Link shouted as he overheard Peach and Bowser's conversation.

"W-what!?"

"Now, now!" Monokuma interrupted, "Leave the debating for the trial!"

The escalators appeared and everyone made their way to the elevator. The energetic atmosphere from before had completely vanished. Instead, the atmosphere became tense as the seriousness of the situation became more apparent.

Duncan recollected his thoughts. He had to mentally prepare for the trial. He knew someone wouldn't make it out alive. He hated that someone always had to die. But he couldn't let his innocent classmates die.

As the elevator's doors opened, Duncan noticed how cold the air was. The trial ground had been redesigned in honor of Dr. Mario and Nana. The walls were completely white and had posters making it look like a doctor's office. It had fake windows that showed a snowy background.

Monokuma was sitting on a large throne made of ice while Monomi was tied to a fake skeleton wearing a ski outfit.

All the students went to their respective seats. Duncan hadn't missed his at all. He had grown to despise his seat. It was full of bad memories. But Duncan knew he had no time to focus on them. Only the trial mattered. If he lost focus, it could be the end of him.

Duncan prayed that doubt wouldn't fill his mind during the trial. He had to do find the killer for the sake of his deceased friends. Hunter had given him hope. He couldn't lose it after his friend had given up his life to save him. Duncan was not going to let the killer win.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Roy: You don't suppose there's a recording of our reactions?

Link: There is one!

Marth: Great, now delete it!

Link: But it's important information and great blackmail material.

Marth: That's why we need to delete it! What if someone uses it against us?

Roy: Marth's got a point but on the other hand… I think it's pretty funny.

Marth: Roy, why? You're supposed to be on my side.

Link: Yes, Roy! Join the dark side with me! We might not have money and power, but we've got blackmail material!

Roy: Does the dark side have cookies?

Link: We've got lots.

Marth: I can afford more cookies than Link can!

Roy: But can you guys make cookies?

Link & Marth: No…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Remember the cookies from the first story's chapter 3? Yeah, me neither.
> 
> The songs Pichu sings are the pokemon theme song, I don't care by 2NE1, Snow Halation from Love Live and Despacito (I still can't wait for Despacito 2 to come out).
> 
> Cloud and Isabelle are my new brotp. I really want to put Isabelle in the story so that she and Cloud can meet. But that's gonna have to wait a long time.
> 
> I guess we've reached the halfway point where we can finally start talking about the next story: Monokuma Apocalypse. Jk, but there technically is a Monokuma Apocalypse. Also, it will have fights. Lots of them. Since you know, the Brawl cast (excluding Snake and I guess R.O.B.) aren't that known for their intelligence. They're not dumb, but they'd all probably be more into fighting than doing trials. I'll also make sure to put lots of mysteries in it.
> 
> Next chapter will hopefully be out before I go to Mexico.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	10. Chapter 3 - Dead Breeze - Class Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial to figure out Nana and Dr. Mario's deaths begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back for just today. I'll probably update this fic in December. Blame the amazing invention called school.

"Let's start with an explanation of the class trial," Monokuma started, "During the trial, you will present arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished and you will continue living your normal life here. But if you pick wrong, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will be allowed to graduate."

"Monokuma, stop it! At least change it up a bit!" Monomi shouted.

"Remember kids, when Momoni tries to give you advice, always do the opposite!"

"We should probably ignore them," Peach sighed.

"So, where do we start?" Falco asked.

"I think we should figure out why there were two body discovery announcements," Sheik suggested, "Who discovered the bodies?"

"Marth and I did," Roy answered, "We saw both Nana and Mario dead and heard the announcement. Afterwards, we got Duncan, Link, Falco and Pichu and the announcement was played again."

"Maybe one of them was still alive when you guys saw them," Link theorized, "It would explain why there were two announcements."

"Or what if Mario discovered Nana and killed himself when he saw her!" Ganondorf shouted.

"That would explain the stool, he must have committed suicide!"

"But wouldn't the announcement have played?" Bowser wondered, "It plays when someone discovers a body."

_I'm not sure if Monokuma will answer, but I guess I'll give it a try…_

"Monokuma? Um..."

"Ooh! A question! Can't believe I'm already getting screen time!"

"Well… Are there any requirements for the body announcement to play?"

"Should I really answer that? Hm… Such a hard choice, it just fills me with despair."

"Stop wasting time and answer his question!" Marth ordered.

"Ah! Marth is scary when he's angry! The despair state must have rubbed off on you! I don't want to answer Duncan's question anymore! Monomi, answer it!"

"Uh, w-well…" Monomi stuttered, "When three persons, excluding the killer, have seen a body, the announcement will play."

"This means Mario and Nana's killers aren't the same people!" Pichu gasped.

"No way! Pichu can think?" Link gasped sarcastically.

"I know, right? I didn't know I could think like this!"

"Stop wasting time, our lives are at stake!" Sheik yelled.

"If Mario and Nana were indeed killed by two people, does this mean there are two killers among us?" Bowser asked.

"It seems possible. It would be much more unlikely for there only to be one killer."

"Heh, I guess this means we've got a pair of killers to find," Falco smirked, "I say Peach and Sheik are the most suspicious. They spent the most time with Nana and are pretty close."

"What?" Peach gasped, "I'd never kill someone! The killers must be Bowser and Ganondorf! They probably lied when they said they left Pichu's hospital room after 10 minutes!"

"As if!" Ganondorf shouted, "It's gotta be Marth and Roy. They've become best friends in a few days and that's suspicious. They'd jump at the opportunity to ditch us all! Plus, I heard Marth went a bit insane a few hours ago."

"But that's impossible," Duncan replied, "Link was with them the whole time. I think we can rule out Marth, Roy, Link, Falco and me as suspects. We were all together at the time of the first murder."

"So, this leaves Peach, Sheik, Ganondorf, Bowser, Mario and Nana as possible suspects," Roy deduced.

"What about me?" Pichu asked.

"You'll be a suspect the day Roy's taller than Marth," Link reassured the yellow pokemon.

"So, you're implying I'm going to be short my whole life?"

"It's okay, Roy. My family's full of short people. You could join us, you'll feel right at home."

"Wait, why isn't Pichu a suspect?" Peach asked.

"Do you really think he's physically capable of hanging someone much heavier than him? The despair disease only affected our minds, not our bodies. So, I doubt Pichu would gain super-strength."

_I guess figuring out how the despair disease works will get us closer to finding the killer or killers._

"Nana was studying the despair disease before her death. She believed it had a link with Monokuma's movie."

"What kind of link?" Falco asked.

"I'm not sure. The part where she wrote about it was torn off."

"Do you think it might have a link with the reactions?" Peach inquired.

"Maybe, we should probably discuss all the possibilities we can think of."

"I think the movie brainwashed us!" Pichu shouted, "Or maybe it was the credits?"

"It's gotta be the credits reactions!" Bowser yelled, "Our reactions are the total opposite of our disease!"

_But are they really?_

"I don't think that's the case. Falco wasn't being the opposite of a valley girl. Plus, some others don't line up. It seems more likely that some reactions being the opposite of the despair disease are coincidental."

"How do you know my reaction to the movie?" Falco asked.

"We found recordings of your reactions," Marth explained, "I still can't believe you managed to sit through the whole credits..."

"I think the only thing the movie did was infect us with the despair disease," Sheik hypothesized, "There doesn't appear to be any connection to the disease. But I think the movie's still pretty suspicious."

_Suspicious? What could she be talking about?_

"Sheik, what do you find suspicious?"

"The first four deaths in the movie are similar to the ones that happened during this killing game. Not to mention that the movie mentions sixteen surviving citizens of Hope."

"But the fifth death is where things get messed up, right?"

"Yes, it's almost like a retelling of what happened mixed with predictions. I think Monokuma only expected one person to die."

"So, are we supposed to be the bosses in the movie?" Ganondorf wondered.

"Well, there are only eleven of them and we were sixteen at the start."

"Maybe it means eleven of us will die in total," Roy theorized, "T-that means Monokuma will stop the game when only five of us are left!"

"Hey, no spoilers!" Monokuma scolded, "Only I get to spoil stuff! Man, the others were way less of a pain in the ass. Then again, I wasn't as big a deal back in the day."

"Wait, you've hosted other killing games?" Duncan asked.

"Upupu! Sure have! It's my job after all!"

_Maybe the bosses are from a previous game he's hosted…_

"I think I've got it!"

"You have?" Pichu smiled.

"Yeah, I think the bosses were the people that died in a previous game Monokuma hosted."

"So, who are the sixteen Hopians?"

"They're us. When the movie says that most turned out to be Desperians, it was probably referring to the people who died or would die."

"Upupu! Close enough!"

"I guess Nana was wrong about something," Sheik sighed.

"It's not the only thing she's wrong about," Duncan added, "She was wrong about the 'murderer' state. Earlier, Monokuma referred to it as the despair state."

"You remembered! Upupu!"

"She said it was a mindless state. But Marth said he was able to think when he was in the despair state."

"I bet he wanted to kill us all!" Bowser shouted, "I knew we couldn't trust him."

"Actually, he was only targeting Roy for some unknown reason."

"Joke's on you, I know why he was targeting Roy! Upupu!"

"Care to tell us?" Link asked.

"I designed his despair state to be like that. It's a shame only two of you got to experience the despair state."

"Wait, Marth wasn't the only one?"

"Nope, that would have sucked so much! Gotta be entertaining, ya know!"

_I think I've got an idea on who could have been the second person._

"I think Nana was affected by the despair state. It would explain why she left so many notes."

"What? Nana would never hurt anyone!" Peach argued.

"But there's too much evidence pointing towards her being a killer. Or more precisely Dr. Mario's killer."

"What are you talking about?"

"The books. They were all marked at pages relating to asphyxiation. I don't think anyone else, besides Dr. Mario, would understand all the medical terms. Also, some of Mario's notes were missing. Assuming Pichu fell asleep, Nana would have been able to get rid of evidence and kill Mario."

"I did fall asleep!" Pichu remembered, "After Nana gave me some water."

"That would explain the sleeping pills."

"If Dr. Mario was killed in Pichu's room, how did he end up in a different room?" Sheik asked.

"Nana must have moved him," Ganondorf answered, "She could have used ropes to pull him."

"But wouldn't have Pichu heard something?"

Pichu didn't answer anything. He didn't know what to say. He would probably go insane.

"It's okay, Pichu," Duncan smiled, "You can trust us."

The yellow pokemon started crying as he revealed everything he knew.

"I-I… I woke up before you guys found me. I was tied up and scared. I tried looking around but I couldn't move. All I saw was Nana laughing. All I could do was cry until I passed out… But before that… N-Nana stopped laughing."

"You knew this whole time she was Mario's killer?"

"No… I never saw Mario's body. I couldn't turn my head. For all I know, his body could have been behind me."

"Does Pichu expect us to believe him?" Bowser roared, "How would have Nana hanged him? She had no way to reach the ceiling."

_That's not true._

"She used a ladder! Roy brought one to the hospital to scare Link."

"I'm not going to bother asking what Roy was planning," Ganondorf sighed, "So, how come no one found it?"

"Someone threw it out the window. There are marks that show something rubbed against the window frame. I found the ladder and it had damaged which was most likely caused by the fall."

"The ladder was in perfect condition when I got it," Roy added, "I had also left a box of ropes in Pichu's room to prank Link. Duncan's definitely on the right track. Now we just have to figure out who killed Nana."

"We've still got four suspects," Falco reminded everyone, "And if we know that the two affected by the despair state were Marth and Nana… That means the killer was planning to kill from the start!"

"Is there any proof of that?"

"Yeah! Nana's dead, that's the proof. The killer must have used Mario's death to their advantage! They were betting on someone else killing before them!"

"But how would the killer have known what Nana was planning?" Peach asked.

"I suppose there is a hole in my theory. But what other explanation is there?"

"Maybe they walked in on Nana trying to kill Pichu and took it as an opportunity?"

"But wouldn't the killer have tried to kill Pichu too?" Marth replied, "Pichu was aware that Nana was trying to kill him."

"The killer could have thought he was dead."

"How exactly did Pichu survive? Wouldn't being hanged kill him?"

"Marth's got a point," Ganondorf agreed, "Nana had super intelligence, she wouldn't have made a mistake that would make him survive."

_I think I have an idea!_

"I think the killer was trying to save Pichu."

"Say what!?" Pichu gasped.

"It would explain how Pichu survived. The killer must have loosened the ropes."

"Why would the killer do that?" Bowser asked.

"I don't know their motive but I may have an idea. I think the killer accidentally killed Nana."

"Wait, how do you accidentally kill someone?"

"The killer must have accidentally chocked her while trying to stop her," Sheik explained, "They probably tried to use her death to their advantage."

"So, how do we find Nana's killer now? There's no obvious motive that can help us find them and none of our suspects have alibis."

_We've really hit a brick wall… Everything is going to be pure speculation from now own._

"Assuming the killer accidentally killed Nana, it's more likely for them to be Bowser or Ganondorf."

"But what if it's all a trick?" Bowser argued, "Maybe the killer wants to frame one of us."

"We don't have any other leads. This is our only choice to somehow move forward."

"What happens if we don't find the killer?"

"Everyone votes randomly!" Monokuma cheered, "If the plurality happens to vote for the actual killer, the killer gets executed. Otherwise, everyone dies! Even if there's a tie, everyone dies! But that would be boring at this point, so you guys better find the killer."

_That's weird… I thought Monokuma would have enjoyed seeing everyone die..._

"I think we should all say our weird theories right now even if they're stupid!" Peach said, "I believe Bowser is suspicious! He's big and could have easily killed Nana!"

"Not to mention that his size would make it harder for him to throw out the ladder without leaving any traces," Sheik added, "Then again, Ganondorf could be the killer too. He might have been in a rush."

"But it could have also been you," Bowser replied, "You didn't have the strength to properly lift up the ladder so you left marks!"

"Guys, your accusations are a waste of time!" Ganondorf yelled, "We're all going to die if you keep fighting!"

_It looks like I'll have to deduce everything based on behavior. If Ganondorf were the killer, he'd probably prefer to have everyone continue accusing each other._

"Man, those four won't stop arguing," Falco complained, "We've got to do something about this."

"We could come up with a very disturbing question that only the killer could answer," Roy suggested, "If we look at their body language, we could figure something out."

"Ooh! I wanna try!" Pichu smiled before yelling, "What would you have done if you had run into Nana trying to kill me?"

Pichu's yelling caught the four suspects attention. They each took turns formulating their answers.

"I'd run past Nana and try to save Pichu," Peach said, "After making sure he's okay, I'd try to stop Nana."

"First, I'd try to figure out if Pichu was alive," Ganondorf frowned, "If he was alive, I'd make sure to get him far away from Nana before confronting her. Otherwise, I'd find a way to prove that Nana killed him."

"I'd grab Pichu and take him to see Dr. Mario," Bowser muttered, "I'd then tell everyone what happened."

"I'd analyze the situation and see what the best course of action would be," Sheik admitted, "In this case, cutting the rope would be the most efficient thing to do as it would improve Pichu's chances of surviving."

"Aw, you guys are so nice!" Pichu cried, "How could one of you be the killer?"

"I guess this was a waste," Falco sighed in disappointment, "Anyone else has any great ideas?"

_No, there's something about their answers…_

"Bowser is the only who mentions Mario. Isn't that strange?"

"What's strange about that?" Bowser inquired, "It's not as though I'd know that Mario was dead if I found Nana killing Pichu."

"Oh, yeah!" Peach gasped, "The killer wouldn't have known that Mario was dead if Nana had moved him"

"Hm, I think I get what Duncan's getting at," Ganondorf smirked, "If Bowser were the killer, he'd make sure to mention that he thought Mario was alive. How else would he know that Mario's body wasn't also in the room?"

"Hey, why is everyone suddenly turning against me?" the koopa complained, "Isn't everyone else forgetting Dr. Mario more suspicious?"

"Pichu didn't confirm whether Mario was in the same room as him," Sheik explained, "It wouldn't have been impossible for his body to be in Pichu's room while Nana tried to kill Pichu. But you seemed confident that Mario wasn't in the room."

"That's 'cause Pichu never saw him."

"But that doesn't mean he wasn't in the room," Duncan responded, "Pichu said he couldn't turn his head and that for all he knew, Mario's body could have been behind him."

"So? What does that have to do with anything? It's not as though it proves anything."

"Your behavior is proving that you are the killer. You're getting defensive."

"What!? Hah, of course, I'm defensive! I don't wanna die because you guys did the wrong decision."

"Can we just get this over with?" Falco complained.

Duncan sighed before recollecting his thoughts and summarizing the events.

"Everything started when Nana was somehow affected by the despair state. Hers manifested in a way that no one noticed. She used this to her advantage to trick us all into believing the despair state was a mindless murderer sate with her notes.

She spent time with Peach and Sheik until she got an opportunity to go to the hospital with the killer and Ganondorf. The three went to the hospital but Ganondorf and the killer left after a few minutes while Nana stayed.

She studied Dr. Mario's notes and books to find a way to kill him. She most likely spotted the box of ropes that Roy had brought by chance. So, after putting sleeping pills in Pichu's water and giving it to him, she proceeded to strangle Mario with the ropes before removing some evidence from his notes.

Once he was dead, she took him to the top floor. She hung him thanks to the ladder she had found and left a stool to make it look as though he had killed himself.

Afterwards, she took the ladder with her to hang Pichu. After hanging her she started laughing, however, she had not noticed the killer. The killer tried to stop her from hanging Pichu but accidentally killed her. The killer must have only noticed Nana was dead after they loosened the rope around Pichu's neck.

The killer decided to use it as an opportunity to leave the island. They took Nana's body to the top floor and left her with Mario. They then threw the ladder out of the window. Before joining everyone while pretending to know nothing.

What do you have to say, Bowser?"

"Why… Why? Why!?" he shouted, "Why can I never be the good guy? Why do I always end up messing everything up?"

"Upupu! That's because you're made for despair!"

"Shut up, you fucking robot! Everything is your fault and whoever planned this shit!"

"Upupu! Hey, I haven't killed anyone! You guys are doing all the killing!"

"But if it wasn't for you, Nana wouldn't have tried to kill me and Bowser wouldn't have killed Nana!" Pichu screamed, "I want to go home! I hate your island!"

"Why don't you kill someone?"

"No! I'm leaving with everyone or I'm dying! I won't kill anyone!"

"Upupu! You guys might as well move on to voting!"

Duncan placed his vote for Bowser and hoped he was right. The chances of being wrong were getting slimmer as more people died, but that didn't make it any less stressful.

"You guys are correct! Upupu! You guys almost lost, unlike the previous ones."

"Who are these previous ones?" Duncan asked.

"You'll know if you survive until the end!"

"Who cares about them?" Pichu yelled, "They're probably dead knowing you. Everything you do is evil! Your despair sucks!"

"Upupu! We'll you're certainly feeling it! You're despairing at the thought that someone is going to die because of you."

"Why, you-"

"That's enough Pichu," Bowser roared, "It's too late for anyone to save me. It's not like I want to live knowing I killed someone. I already have a shit talent, I don't need any more crap in my life."

"B-but-"

"I want all of you guys to kick Monokuma's ass for me! Don't let him beat you."

"We'll make sure he goes down," Ganondorf smirked.

"Duncan, you need to make sure Pichu makes it out alive. I don't want Nana's death to have been in vain."

"R-right! I'll do my best."

"I guess it's goodbye until we meet in a next life..."

"Upupu! How cute! But you know what's cuter? PUNISHMENT TIME!"

* * *

Bowser is on a beach surrounded by pipes. He tries inspecting them but Monokumas come out of it and punch him in the face. Bowser punches back, successfully breaking some but they keep multiplying. He sees a stairway leading to a mountain and decides to run towards it. When he reaches the top of the stairway, he notices heat and realizes there's a volcano.

**Super Lava Bro**

The Monokumas start catching up to Bowser when a wooden bridge appears. Bowser walks on top of it while drops of lava splash onto him. Bowser attempts to ignore the pain caused by the burning sensations on his body and makes it to the other side of the volcano. He finds a flame thrower and uses it to burn the Monokumas that are chasing him.

The ability fills Bowser with hope and he raises the intensity of the flame thrower. The Monokumas persist but to no avail as they are melted by the flames. After a few seconds, all the Monokumas are gone and Bowser emerges victorious.

He crosses the bridge, ignoring the intense pain, with the hope of seeing his friends again. But as he arrives at the middle of the bride, he hears a sound. He turns around and sees a Monokuma dressed in red touching an axe.

The Monokuma laughs and picks the axe up. Bowser hears the sound of wood falling down and before he knows it, the wood beneath him starts shaking. Bowser attempts to run but the wood falls too fast and he lands in the lava. The burning sensation on his body becomes too much to handle and Bowser spends his final moments screaming in agony as his body burns and becomes one with the lava.

* * *

Despair and silence filled the room as the students watched Bowser's final moments. Monokuma broke the silence by laughing before disappearing and leaving the students alone.

"Everything will be fine," Momoni said in an attempt to reassure the students, "Bowser believes you can beat Monokuma! Everyone believes in you!"

"We get that, it's just..." Duncan started, "We try to stay positive but the pain eventually catches up..."

"But you can all fight! It's not over! You can still make it out alive."

"B-but everyone's just going to die!" Pichu sobbed.

"Don't say that! No one's going to die!"

"..."

"Why's everyone so silent? You're supposed to be doing hope speeches!"

"I thought that was Marth's thing, not everyone's," Link glared, scaring the bunny off.

"What do we do now?" Sheik asked.

"We go to bed unless Marth wants to make a speech or something."

"Um… I'm sorry, I don't have any speech ideas right now..." Marth apologized, "I'm not feeling well… Must be an after effect of the despair state."

"That's all right," Roy reassured his friend, "Go get some rest, cry or whatever you need."

"..."

"Seeing as how everyone else seems out of commission," Falco started, "I'll do the hope speech this time."

"W-what!?"

"Guys, we can't let Monokuma kick our ass because that would be uncool. Now, us kicking his ass would be cool for us and all our dead friends. So anyone who's feeling depressed can feel depressed but you can't let despair win you over. We're going to beat up Monokuma whether he likes it or not!"

"T-that was," Duncan stuttered, "That was-"

"Absolutely cringe-worthy," Ganondorf sighed, "But it gets the message across."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. But I guess we can all agree that regardless of what we think is the right way to beat Monokuma, we all want to kick his ass."

"You guys are right!" Peach smiled, "We won't let Monokuma ever divide us!"

Everyone had dinner in the diner that night in an attempt to cheer up. Afterwards, everyone returned to bed feeling slightly better. Duncan hoped with all of his heart that nothing would shatter everyone's spirits. But he knew that was going to be inevitable.

* * *

Monomi was in her house waiting for her phone to ring. Once she heard it ring, she quickly picked it up.

"Link! They've made it past this trial!"

"Yeah, I saw it. They don't want despair to take over."

"Do you think we'll be able to turn them back to normal?"

"Yes, unless the mastermind has something secret planned."

"Have you been able to figure out who the mastermind is?"

"No, but I think they might be connected to the traitor. If we find one of them, we'll find the other."

"But none of the students have been doing anything a mastermind would do."

"I've gotten R.O.B. to analyze the software. But it can't seem to find a way to decode it. Once we find a way, we'll be able to find out who the mastermind is. I just don't know if we'll make it in time."

"What will you do if you can't figure it out?"

"We'll have to interfere in the killing game without revealing ourselves. Luckily this virtual reality allows users to change their avatar. All though, it does take time to get used to a different body."

"The students seemed to have adapted pretty well though."

"That's a relief. I almost regretted giving them their old bodies as avatars. Hopefully, it won't make the transfer to their actual bodies difficult."

"I think they'll be more confused than anything."

"Yeah… Monomi, could you study the software?"

"Of course! Is there anything specific you'd like me to find out?"

"I'd like you to find out how Monokuma created the despair disease and I'd like to confirm something about it. There's also something else..."

"What is it?"

"I'd like you to figure out the real reason why Pichu survived."

* * *

Deleted scene:

Falco: We've got to do something about this!

Link: Care for some tea?

Marth: I'd like some!

Roy: Me too! I'd like Earl Gray!

Pichu: No way, there's tea now! I want- Wait, I don't even know any tea names. Give me the best one!

Roy: Try Earl Gray!

Marth: No, he's a beginner in the art of tea drinking! He should start with chamomile or lemon tea.

Link: You're both wrong! Green tea is the best tea!

Pichu: I want… Yellow tea!

Marth: Good, you'll enjoy-

Link: Green tea is actually yellow.

Falco: What do you call facepalming but with a wing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> You guys can pick five characters for Duncan to hang out with next chapter. You can also pick someone for him to prank.
> 
> I managed to finish this on time! I'm flying to Mexico tomorrow, I can't wait to eat tacos and frijoles. I freaking love them. You don't get good ones in Europe, only okay ones.
> 
> The smash subreddit is going insane because of the lack of announcements. I'm personally happy with the current cast. All I really hoped for was for Roy and Snake to be back, the rest is just icing on the cake.
> 
> I probably won't be able to write anything before the end of December because exam season is coming up. Hopefully this year we'll get December chapters, unlike last year.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	11. Chapter 4 - Ultimate Dreams - Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new island is explored and new mysteries regarding memories and class N64 arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUBSCRIBE TO PEWDIEPIE TO DEFEAT T-SERIES. TELL EVERYONE TO SUBSCRIBE TO PEWDIEPIE.
> 
> My productivity goes up the day before traveling for vacations and goes down when I don't go traveling. Hm... I could make a Drake meme out of this.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan couldn't help but grown at the sound of the morning announcement. Who thought it was a good idea to have one?

The duck went to the restaurant were he saw his fellow classmates talking to Monomi. The bunny had defeated one of Monokuma's robots which meant there was a new island to discover.

Despite the small spark of hope Duncan could sense in his classmates' eyes, he noticed they all seemed somewhat sad or annoyed. They were probably expecting the same routine once again: new island, someone dies, investigation, trial, killer dies...

* * *

Once everyone had finished eating breakfast, everyone met up at the gate of the fourth island. The island looked like a theme park. It would have been a really fun place if it wasn't for the killing game.

Duncan flew to the sky to get a better look at the park. A huge castle stood at the center and next to it, there was a roller coaster. There were a few other attractions but Duncan wasn't sure what they were. His knowledge on theme parks wasn't that great.

Duncan decided to visit the castle first. It looked even bigger now that he was up close. A big sign above the gate had "Nezumi Castle" written on it. He was about to enter it when Monokuma appeared.

"Don't enter that castle!"

"Why?"

"There are m-mice in it!"

The duck ignored the bear's words and entered the castle. It looked even bigger inside. It didn't help that it was quite empty despite all the large columns and the red carpet. The only things of interest were the weapons hanging on the wall. From the look of it, they seemed genuine.

"Wow!" a high-pitched voiced shouted, "This place is so big! I want a house this big!"

"You think this is big? You've got lots to learn."

Duncan turned around to see Pichu and Marth talking.

"I know right!" Pichu grinned before waving to Duncan, "Hi, Duncan!"

"Have you found anything interesting?" Marth asked.

"Besides the weapons, no," Duncan answered.

"We're going to have to explore the whole castle!" Pichu cheered, "I'm so excited, I don't know where to start."

"Great, make sure to investigate everything," Marth ordered, "Every crack, every brick. Check underneath all the carpets, behind the curtains. Don't leave a single thing unchecked."

Pichu, being Pichu, decided that the best place to start investigating was underneath the red carpet. In a few seconds, the yellow pokemon had completely messed up the carpet revealing weird writing on the floor.

"5T1T9Tevery1?" Pichu read out loud, "Is that Latin?"

"No, it's French," Marth replied sarcastically, "It's probably some weird coded message."

"I wonder what it means..." Duncan told himself as he stared at the writing.

* * *

Duncan saw a small house next to the castle. It looked like it was supposed to be a cute house but it was completely ruined. Next to it, there was a large house which Duncan assumed was a haunted house.

The duck tried entering the small house but the door was locked.

"No trespassing on other people's property!" Monomi scolded, "You need to behave, young duck!"

"What is this house?"

"Um… Well..."

"Let me guess, your home?"

"It was… And it was beautiful."

Duncan really didn't want to deal with Monomi. Despite seemingly being on their side, she wasn't much help. She was always so secretive.

Being unable to investigate the small house, Duncan focused on the haunted house instead.

The house was large and looked really old. It was covered in spiderwebs and appeared to be on the verge of collapsing.

Duncan saw an annoyed Link standing in front of the entrance with Peach. The princess was going on and on about how scary the house looked.

"There's probably a serial killer inside!" the blonde screamed, "You should come with me to make sure I'm not attacked!"

"No way," the Hylian glared, "Go with Pichu, I'm sure he'll love it."

"Are you scared of haunted houses?" Duncan asked.

"Nah, they're just plain boring. Every year, my cousins and I go to a new one that is supposedly the scariest of them all and it ends up being boring as shit. Only Toon's sister gets scared."

"Maybe if you go with your friends, it will be more fun."

"I guess, but I've already seen Marth and Roy lose their shit… I should ask Sheik to come with me, I've never seen her freak out!"

"Guys, the door is locked," Peach announced with disappointment, "And I was looking forward to it..."

_Well, it isn't as though haunted houses are any fun during the day time…_

Suddenly, Duncan was struck by an idea. He flew around the house and found a board with time tables. The house was only accessible at night. There was definitely something hidden inside.

* * *

The next location Duncan visited was a small train station in front of a funhouse. The trains were colorful and somewhat cute if you ignored the Monokuma face at the front that made them look creepier than a  _Thomas and Friends_  train.

The funhouse behind the station was bright pink. Unlike normal funhouses, you couldn't see anything besides a big slide. The attraction was also closed during the day.

"Jeez, what's the point of a theme park if you can't ride anything," Falco complained.

"Knowing Monokuma, they're probably full of traps to make us suffer," Roy theorized, "I guess we'll have to explore the park again at night."

"So, you guys haven't found anything?" Duncan asked.

"Well, when I visited the roller coaster, Monokuma said we'd all get to ride it. It doesn't seem off in any way. Looks pretty fun to be honest."

"If you ask me, I think his roller coaster looks lame!" Falco laughed, "There's not even a height or age restriction. Even a baby could ride it."

"That doesn't mean it will be lame. Monokuma probably couldn't be bothered to put one."

"Are you implying I'm lazy?" Monokuma pouted as he appeared out of nowhere, "I'll show you that I'm not lazy!"

"How will you do that?" Duncan quacked.

"Upupu! You'll see, Ducky!"

* * *

The roller coaster looked scary. Really scary. How could Falco think it was lame? It had three loops, a practically vertical drop… Duncan was not going on it. He didn't care how much you paid him, he wasn't going on it.

"Are you alright?" Sheik asked.

"Y-yeah!" Duncan stuttered, "Will we have to ride that roller coaster?"

"Yes, but it should be all right for you. You can fly."

"Not if I'm completely dizzy!"

"Ha! This crap is for babies," Ganondorf smirked, "When I was a kid, I'd go on the biggest rides all the time. My sisters would threaten anyone who wouldn't let me on!"

"What!? This ride isn't for babies!"

"What are you talking about? There's a panel that says "Everyone, including babies, allowed" over there."

Duncan blinked as he saw the panel Ganondorf was pointing at. He couldn't believe his eyes. Monokuma really was crazy.

" **Everyone please head to the roller coaster!"**

_Great…_

Once everyone had made it to the roller coaster, Monokuma announced his plans.

"You will all have to ride the roller coaster! If you do, you'll get a very special prize. I'm sure you'll love it! Well, most of you will."

"What kind of prize is it?" Duncan asked the bear.

"Upupu! You'll have to ride the roller coaster to find out. I prepared two special seats at the front for our tiniest members."

"Aw, I wanted to sit at the front," Peach pouted.

"The front is the most boring place," Sheik reassured her friend, "Let's sit at the back."

"Wait, I want to sit at the back!" Falco argued, "This roller coaster's boring, at least let me get the enjoyment of being at the back."

"I want to be at the back!" Pichu yelled.

"Pichu, you already have a seat."

Duncan ignored all the fighting and got into his seat. He was secretly hoping the fighting wouldn't end so that the ride would never start. Alas, Monokuma decided to move Duncan and Pichu to the back much to the duck's dismay.

"I'm so excited!" Pichu told the duck, "I've never been on a roller coaster before. They keep telling me I'm too short."

"Yeah, that's ni- Oh, God… It's moving!"

The cars slowly made their way to the top of the first hill. Duncan did his best to not cry or scream. Peach's screams made him want to scream too.

As the car stopped at the top, all the screaming stopped. There was no sound. Just pure silence until Duncan ruined it.

"All, right. If this car can stay still like this, everything will be- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"Yeah!" Pichu screamed with joy, "This is awesome!"

"This sucks!" Falco shouted, "This sucks balls, Monokuma!"

"Somebody help me!" Peach yelled, "I need help!"

"Hey, there's a loop coming up!" Roy noticed.

"Oh, wow, how scary," Link replied sarcastically.

"I-I think I'm gonna puke..." Marth stuttered.

"Do it on, Link," Ganondorf laughed, "That would make this ride fun."

"Everyone shut up for a second!" Sheik ordered, "I'm trying to enjoy the ride."

If Duncan had to describe what getting off the car was like, he'd say it was the best feeling in the world. As he got off, he let himself collapse on the ground. Oh, how he had missed it. He knew the ride had only taken a bit over a minute, but to him, it had felt like hours.

"Aw, you all made it out alive..." Monokuma sighed full of disappointment, "Here's your prize."

The bear took out a folder with Hope's Peak logo on it. It wasn't very thick, but better than nothing. He gave the folder to Duncan because he thought the duck had had the funniest reaction during the ride.

Duncan opened the folder and was greeted by an unexpected list.

**Class XXX**

**Ultimate Bounty Hunter**

**Ultimate Psychic**

**Ultimate Driver**

**Ultimate Puzzle Solver**

**Ultimate Babysitter**

**Ultimate Magician**

**Ultimate Drummer**

**Ultimate Little Brother**

**Ultimate Plumber**

**Ultimate Captain**

**Ultimate Technician**

**Ultimate Mercenary**

**Ultimate Singer**

**Ultimate Mascot**

**Ultimate Martial Artist**

**Ultimate Witch**

"Are these the right files?" Duncan asked, "I don't know anyone with these talents."

"Upupu! They sure are. You're just among the few to have no interest in them."

"That file looks boring, I want a better prize!" Pichu whined.

"Pichu's got a point," Link agreed, "Why would we care about some other class?"

"Upupu! How ironic! You two should be the most interested in the files!"

"I think you two might know some of the people on the list," Duncan said as he showed the files to his two friends.

"Wow, there are so many people named Ultimate!" Pichu gasped, "They've got such strange surnames."

"That's their talents."

"There's nothing I recognize here," Link sighed as he turned the pages in the folder, "Samus, don't know her. Ness, never heard of him. Captain Falcon, he's that crazy guy who drives in a car. L-Link Farore? But that's not possible."

"Anything's possible!" Pichu shouted as he looked at all the papers before screaming, "Never mind, some things are impossible!"

"Hey, what's the big deal with those files?" Falco asked as he grabbed the papers to look at them, "W-when did he get accepted into Hope's Peak? I was the only one..."

Duncan didn't know what was going on. He wasn't sure what he could do. If the files were of no interest to him, how could he help his friends?

"Upupu! You're probably all confused. Go to the funhouse tonight if you want to know more."

* * *

Duncan wasn't sure what he should do to pass the time after having lunch. Monokuma just had to make the only accessible attraction the roller coaster.

He decided to go to the beach and relax as much as he could on an island of death.

"Hey, can I join you?" Peach asked as she looked at the duck lying on the sand.

"Sure, is there anything you want?"

"Well… I guess we could talk or play. All this gloom is really bad for us. Monokuma likes seeing us sad so we should try to be happy!"

"You've got a point, but I don't think it's that easy for everyone."

"That's why I've got to do something about it! All my life, I've been trapped and waited for someone to save me… But now I've got to be the one to free myself and rescue my friends."

"Do you think we'll ever make it out?"

"Of course, we will! No one wants to kill anyone and I've got people waiting for me back at the Mushroom Kingdom. I'll make it out no matter what!"

"And what will you do once you're out?"

"I'll look for my family and my best friend, Daisy. Then I'll hold a big party in my castle where we'll all get to celebrate!"

"It must nice to have so many people waiting for you. I've only got my parents assuming Monokuma hasn't done anything to them."

"I'm sure someone's waiting for all of us outside, including you."

After having spent his whole afternoon with Peach, Duncan ate dinner and returned to his room to take a nap while waiting for the nighttime announcement.

* * *

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan was feeling really tired, but he had to go to the funhouse for his friends. It seemed everyone was feeling the same.

The funhouse had a rule of only four people at a time. There was a grand prize in one of the rooms that could only be claimed if four people reached it at the same time.

Everyone had voted Duncan to be the one to investigate the funhouse. He was small and could fly, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting stuck anywhere.

The duck nervously entered the house expecting a trap or a jumpscare. But there wasn't anything, the funhouse was a normal funhouse.

He flew all around the house searching for a secret room. After a few minutes, he had found a small passage hidden behind a slide. Only small people would be able to access it.

Duncan flew out and told everyone what he had seen. It took ten minutes of arguing for everyone to agree that sending the four shortest of the group was probably the best idea.

Duncan guided Pichu, Link, and Roy through the house. Pichu was having some trouble getting up the stairs because he was too excited. The little pokemon kept bumping his head against the steps causing him to fall down.

"All right, this is the passage," Duncan said as he walked through the small opening.

"Looks pretty big to me," Pichu noted, "It can be our secret base! The secret base for the tiniest members of this island!"

"One day I'll be tall..." Link sulked.

"How long is this passage?" Roy asked.

"I'm not sure," Duncan answered before falling down a hole, "Aaah!"

"Are you all right!?"

"Yeah!"

Duncan looked at his surroundings. He was in a room with four different doors and a TV screen in the middle. One door was dark blue with sparkles on it, another one was green with puzzle pieces glued onto it, one was baby blue with little angels and clouds painted on it and the last door was black with red and pink paint splatters.

As he approached the TV screen, it turned on and the words "three more" appeared.

"I think you guys need to come down!" Duncan shouted to his friends.

Once everyone arrives in the room, a zero appeared on the screen for a few seconds before being replaced by a Monokuma.

"Upupu! You've made it! You may each claim part of the prize. Please make your way to one of the doors in front of you. Only one person may go through one door!"

Duncan chose to go with the sparkly door. He entered a dark room full of little lights that looked like stars. In the middle of the floor, there was a folder with Hope's Peak logo on it.

The duck opened the folder and saw a picture of a blonde girl called Zelda and a brown haired woman that looked a bit like her. The folder didn't contain anything of use. Just pictures of them doing magic tricks or posing with some weird hand.

The duck exited the funhouse feeling like he had wasted his time. How were pictures of some girls going to help him solve anything?

Since it was getting late, everyone agreed to check the prizes the next morning.

* * *

Duncan couldn't see what was going on around him. Everything was so dark and blurry. All he could do was listen. Listen to a strange conversation between two people he couldn't recognize.

"I-I… I did it!" a voice full of nervousness shouted, "You won't harm them, right?"

"Of course… Not!"

"What!? But you!"

"I'm just joking! Can't harm someone who's already dead, after all!"

"Y-you... How could you?"

"Feeling the despair yet? You actually trusted me! Your life is mine!"

"N-no… No! That can't be possible!"

"You're not the first, I've gotten to others. I'm sure you'd love to meet them! They thought the same as you before they turned."

* * *

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

_What kind of dream was that? Who were those people? Is the killing game making me dream strange things?_

Duncan wanted to figure out what his dream was, but he had other mysteries to solve.

He arrived at the cafeteria where he saw Roy and Link dying of laughter as they looked at Link's folder. Duncan wanted to get his breakfast, but Link had forced him to look at his pictures.

"Dude, I just got the best idea in the world!" Link told him, "We need to get Marth to cross-dress just like this blond Cloud guy!"

"But don't you think it would be funnier to make Ganondorf cross-dress?" Roy laughed, "I don't know why, but he kinda reminds me of Captain Falcon."

"But Marth and Cloud look practically the same! Just give Marth a blond wig and he's basically Cloud but girlier. Plus they're almost the same height. With enough effort they could pass as siblings."

"Wait..." Duncan interrupted, "You've memorized everyone's heights and names?"

"And their blood type, last names, middle names, talents, birth place. All though, I already knew pretty much everything there's to know about Time."

Duncan felt like he hadn't done anything. He didn't know anything about Zelda besides her being a magician and he didn't know who the woman with her was.

Duncan's mood for the day now depended on whether Pichu had bothered learning anything about his pictures or not.

"Guys, who are the people on my pictures?" Pichu asked as he ran into the cafeteria, "I've never seen them before!"

_Thank goodness, now I don't feel like shit._

Once everyone had gathered at the cafeteria and finished eating breakfast, everyone took a look at the pictures. Since Duncan had the smallest amount of photos, the group decided to start by analyzing his.

"I've met Zelda before, we were close friends when we were young," Sheik recalled, "She always liked playing around with magic. The other person must be one of her cousins. I'm not sure what the hand's supposed to be."

"It's a fake hand!" Pichu theorized, "The hand is obviously part of a magic trick!"

"P-Pichu actually came up with something logical!?" Falco gasped as he stared at the yellow pokemon, "I think you've just been promoted to the cool tier."

"Guys, we don't have time to waste!" Sheik scolded, "We need to figure out what these pictures mean."

Despite their best efforts, no one could figure out what the deal with the Zeldas was. They looked like normal persons.

The next set of photos to be analyzed were Pichu's. The photos featured Fox, Ryu, Mario, and Ness. Falco and Peach were able to provide some information about Fox and Mario respectively, but Ryu and Ness remained an enigma.

Roy's photos featured Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, and Bayonetta. Pichu knew a lot about Pikachu, but nothing linked him to the other people on the photos.

The final set was Link's featuring his cousin, Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon, Cloud, Samus, Kirby, and Luigi. Beside Luigi and Link's cousin, the students on the photos didn't mean anything to anyone.

"Well, this was a waste..." Roy sighed with disappointment, "We still don't know anything about why the students were grouped into four groups."

"I know!" Peach shouted, "Maybe they were grouped into friend groups! But that would mean that poor Zelda had no friends."

"Nah, it's gotta be related to this killing game in some way," Ganondorf disagreed, "Monokuma always gives us things that have to do with this game."

"It doesn't look like we're going to find any answers here," Duncan quacked, "We'll have to wait and see if there are any answers somewhere else."

* * *

Duncan needed to pass the time and think about something that wasn't related to the killing game. He had managed to convince some of his friends to play hide-and-seek in the castle to pass the time.

Duncan thought the best place to hide was the bathroom on the top floor. As he made his way to the top floor, he noticed Marth was also heading towards it. The two decided to hide together as they waited for someone to find them.

"Jeez, how long is it going to take Pichu to find us?" Marth groaned in annoyance.

Duncan could help but feel that Marth was acting weird. He seemed irritated for some reason.

"Hey, Marth, have you been getting enough sleep?"

"W-what? Why are you asking me this?

"You look stressed out about something. Is something worrying you?"

"I guess this killing game's starting to get to me. We've got no way of knowing about what's going on outside."

"You must be worried about your family."

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about everyone here. We keep telling ourselves that we'll win but victory seems to be getting farther and farther everyday… I fear I'll go insane if things continue this way. What if I end up killing someone? What if you kill someone?"

"Marth, you helped me after Hunter… It will be fine, no one will kill anyone. You're… You're probably depressed, maybe you should listen to Roy and cry. You don't have to do it in front of anyone."

"No… I can't cry… I can't let Monokuma win."

"So, you'll save the tears for after we get out?"

"Of course! That's the only time it will be accepta- Oh… I guess I should thank you, I feel more enlightened now."

Duncan wasn't sure what was going on in Marth's head, but he seemed to be feeling better which reassured him.

* * *

After dinner, Duncan was approached by Falco who wanted to play video games in the hotel reception. The two played a piloting simulation game which Falco beat with ease.

"This game's way too easy," the blue bird complained, "I don't see how you're having such a hard time."

"Falco, you're a piloting genius. If this game was hard for you, I'd be extremely worried."

"I'd never suck at a piloting game. It would bring shame to my old school, I'm… was it's only pride."

"Was? Are you talking about Fox somehow being in Hope's Peak?"

"Yeah, I bragged so much when I got my invitation letter and Fox was pissed. He still congratulated unlike Wolf, Wolf didn't seem to care. He was just grinning to himself. My theory is that he got himself laid or something before anyone else in the class."

"Were any of you actually friends?"

"Kinda, we were like the big three at the school. Obviously, I was the coolest one, everyone was really into me."

Duncan was sure Falco was exaggerating at that point.

"Would you like to see your old friends again?"

"Sure, I may seem like the coolest guy ever, but I still care about my friends. All though, I really want an explanation from Fox. You know… You always ask me about myself, but what was your school life before?"

"You want to know about my school life?"

"Yeah, there must have been a reason you were chosen as the Ultimate Assistant."

"I'm not sure why I was chosen. All I really did was help around when help was needed. I don't think I ever did anything that note-worthy."

"Well, you're the best assistant anyone could ask for. Without you, I don't think we would have been able to sweep through all those trials."

Duncan didn't believe he deserved much praise, everyone had been of help during the trials. He didn't think he'd be able to do anything without his classmates.

* * *

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

Duncan was about to head to his cottage when he remembered the time table he had seen at the haunted house. The house was accessible at night and it was most definitely hiding something.

Duncan didn't want to disturb anyone so he chose to go alone. He quietly opened the door and made his way through a dark hallway.

The whole place stank as though it had never been opened before. At least the fake decorations broke all possible immersion. The fake blood on the walls was bright pink out of all possible colors.

Duncan walked through the house trying to find something interesting. After an hour, he had managed to visit every room in the house.

The duck was sad he had wasted his time for nothing. He made his way to the exit before stepping on a loose wooden plank.

Duncan lifted up the plank and found a photo. As he took a closer look, he noticed that all of his dead classmates were on it. They were disguised and standing in front of Halloween decorations.

_This doesn't make sense… They didn't all know each other before coming to Hope's Peak. I should show this to the others tomorrow morning._

Duncan returned to his cottage. He couldn't help but stare at the photo in confusion. Questions were popping into his head without any sign of stopping. It took all of his will to get his mind off the photo.

* * *

Once again, Duncan found himself in a dark place. He couldn't see well, but he could tell it was a different place and that there were seven people instead of just two. Yet it seemed like only two of them were talking.

Duncan tried getting closer to the group but stopped when he stepped on something wet. It was slightly sticky and smelled like iron, it was blood. Duncan wanted to investigate the source of the blood, but he couldn't help himself from listening to the conversation that was taking place.

"You knew… All this time you knew… Yet you didn't stop me from killing them."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Sorry? That's all you can say? After everything that's happened?"

"What? Do you want me to bring you some roses? The severed head of your worst enemy? A hand written apology? I guess I can start it now. My dear beloved totally not guilty-"

"Shut up! How could… Why? I..."

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"I… I want to hate you… All of you… But... Why do I still care about you?"

"It's despair!" a third person laughed, "You can't bring yourself to hate the ones you love even though they've betrayed you. You're the one… You'll be the one to break everyone! There's just so much a puny person like me can do alone, after all! Upupupu!"

"W-what?"

"You love your friends way too much. You'd do anything for them, even if it meant destroying the world. After all, if the world falls, you'll be able to do whatever you want. You won't be known for your talent, but for what you accomplished. You'll be the one remembered for ruining this world while all of my hard work will remain forgotten. How despairing, right?"

Everything was silent for a moment. But then, a laugh filled with conflicting emotions killed the silence.

"I never thought I could hate someone so much that I'd actually want to murder them. You've ruined my whole life, ruined my friends made me kill my own parents. I hope you get crushed to death!"

"Upupu! That's a pretty good idea, I'll make sure to remember it. Since you've lost everything, why don't you help me?"

"Fine… I'll help you destroy the world and once you're dead, I'll destroy everything you stand for. It's part of my talent after all."

"That's even better than what I had hoped for. Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Ulti-"

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Duncan groaned in annoyance. His dream seemed like it could have revealed a lot about his situation, maybe even the mastermind behind everything. But it was just a dream, Duncan had no idea why he had had such a weird. He wanted to think about it but he needed to show the photo he had found to his classmates.

* * *

Once everyone had arrived in the cafeteria, Duncan decided to show the photo to his classmates. As he had expected, they were all as confused as him and were asking the same questions he had asked himself the previous night.

They didn't get to start a discussion as Monokuma made his epic entrance.

"What are you doing with my photo?" the bear shouted angrily as he grabbed the photo out of Duncan's wings, "It's my precious!"

"Clearly not precious enough," Marth snapped back as he grabbed the photo and gave it back to Duncan, "If you truly cared about it, you wouldn't have left it by itself."

"So mean! Is it the time of the month for you?"

"Quit wasting our time and explain to us what it means!" Falco ordered.

"Everyone's so mean to me! You'll have to find out for yourselves!"

As the bear disappeared, Monomi made her entrance.

"Oh, skittles, I missed him," the rabbit 'cursed' as she looked at her students who were staring at her, "What do I have something on my face?"

"What do you know about the photo?" Ganondorf cut right to the chase, "I want every single detail."

"What- Um, I don't know anything about any photo! I need to go, I left the oven on!"

* * *

Duncan was feeling frustrated by the lack of progress. He needed to vent to someone or at least find a way to get rid of his frustration.

Luckily for him, Ganondorf felt the same way and suggested they play some metal music with the instruments at Titty Typhoon.

"I feel much better right now!" the Gerudo smirked, "Can you feel the energy pumping through your veins?"

"I-I… I think I can!"

"Good, otherwise I'd be extremely disappointed in you. I'd probably turn you into dinner and eat you."

"Oh, goodness… I knew I'd be the first to be eaten since I wouldn't be considered cannibalism."

"Chillax, Ducky, I'm not actually going to eat you. You're not that big anyway. You actually thought I'd eat you?"

"Won't lie, I could actually picture you trying to eat me. You're… kinda big and scary."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. It keeps people away from my sisters."

"Just how many sisters do you have?"

"I guess I consider all the women in the Gerudo tribe as my sisters. Not that they really need my protection since they can beat up anyone. I'm so used to being surrounded by strong and badass people because of them. That's why Hope's Peak was the only acceptable school for me."

"Do you think everyone here is strong here?"

"Yes, you've got mentally strong people and physically strong people here. All though, I have some doubts about Pichu. He's like crazy strong in a weird way."

"It's true that Pichu's quite weird..."

"I've just a great idea to get our blood pumping even more! We need to prank someone to show our dominance."

"Anyone in mind?"

"Well, there is someone..." the Gerudo smirked.

* * *

Link was arguing with Marth at the beach about where they should go for lunch. They couldn't reach an agreement and were about to get into a fight.

"I'm telling you, Marth, you won't like the burgers from the diner," Link told his blue-haired friend, "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"If we go directly to the diner, we can get normal burgers that haven't been touched by Roy."

"Sure, princess. If that's what you want."

"W-what did you just say?"

"I'm pretty princess Martha Lowell! I'll use my magical princess powers to defeat the evil Roy and save the innocent burgers. In the name of Altea, I punish you!"

Link closed his eyes and danced like a pretty princess unaware of what was about to happen. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Marth seemed angrier than before. But he seemed different somehow.

"Marth, why are you covered in cream?" the blonde laughed not caring for any possible consequences that might befall him.

"S-shut up, I don't know! A balloon just appeared out of nowhere and exploded."

"Whoever thought of doing that to you is a genius! You didn't even see it coming."

Duncan and Ganondorf glared in annoyance from the bush they were hiding in. They needed a plan B.

* * *

Link went to the diner with Sheik, Roy, and Peach to wait for Marth's return from an hour-long shower. Link noticed that there was a seat that had a pillow, so he made to take the seat next to it because he didn't like seats with pillows. The stupid pillow could never stay in place.

Peach wanted to sit next to Link, but since Sheik was already next to him, she needed to take the pillow-seat. I looked quite comfortable to her, so she gladly sat on it.

Peach regretted all of her actions as she heard a fart noise combined with laughter.

"That wasn't me!" she shouted as she changed seats.

While waiting for the burgers (and Marth), the four friends decided to get some drinks. Link had originally wanted the greenest drink there was, but Sheik beat him to it. It was for the better after all.

"Hey, Sheik, you look stunning today," the sarcastic blond smiled as Peach and Roy tried to contain their laughter, "Green lipstick really suits you."

The blonde glared and left to go clean herself in the bathroom.

Once Marth had arrived, the group of friends took some burgers which had names on them. Link left to get some ketchup while the others prepared themselves to eat.

"Is it me or is Link's burger bigger than all of ours?" Peach pointed out, "Do you think Monokuma likes him more than us?"

"You think Link will notice if I switch our burgers?" Roy asked.

"Probably not."

Roy switched grabbed Link's burger and took a huge bite out of it before turning pale.

"T-this burger… How did I fall for the trick I invented?"

"Hey, Roy, you ate the wrong burger," Link noticed when he returned with the ketchup, "You don't seem to like it that much..."

It was now time for plan C.

* * *

Link was with Pichu and Falco eating some ice cream in front of the pool. They were really happy since the ice cream was a delicious pineapple-flavored one. Falco loved it so much that he went to get more at the restaurant.

When Falco returned, he was covered with eggs and was pretty pissed. To clean himself, he jumped into the pool with a big splash in hopes that the water would land on Pichu and Link who couldn't stop laughing. The two remained dry.

"It was nice hanging out with you two!" Pichu smiled, "Now I'm off to look at the electronic stuff!"

Pichu walked for about one meter before tripping on a wire and falling face first into the pool.

"Never mind, I'm swimming to- Ew... Falco, did you lay an egg in the pool?"

"What!? No, I'm not a girl! I don't lay eggs!"

"Lies! All birds lay eggs!"

Mission failed...

* * *

Duncan and Ganondorf were frustrated by their failure. As they were cleaning up the mess they had created in the restaurant, they were approached by Link.

"Hey, guys, have you seen- Aaahh!"

Link's scream was followed by the sound of glasses shattering.

"Jesus Christ! Is this what being Marth feels like?"

Duncan and Ganondorf turned around to see Link covered in various sauces and juices.

"That wasn't us," Duncan clarified.

"I can't believe it," Ganondorf groaned full of rage, "The one time something we wanted to happen happens, we miss it!"

"At least we got to hear him scream. Anyway, what happened, Link?"

"I walked into a shelf..."

"...Okay… I won't judge..."

* * *

Duncan had finished his dinner when he heard an announcement to meet at the park. Duncan was sure it had to do with the pictures.

As he arrived, he felt tension in the air. The same type of tension that appeared every time there was a motive. He looked around to see if Monokuma was anywhere to be seen, but all he saw was a big screen similar to an outdoor cinema.

***Ding Dong Bing Bong***

" **It's 10 pm you little bastards! Go to bed! Unless you're planning to kill someone, in which case you are welcome to do so! Upupupu!"**

"It's movie night, tonight!" the bear smiled as he appeared from behind the screen, "Tonight, you'll experience a movie so touching, you'll cry yourselves to sleep! Or at least some of you will… To make it better, this movie's a true story! Beautiful raw footage, no special effects! Obviously, some editing, because it would take forever to watch the whole thing."

There was no option to leave. Everyone had to watch the movie, otherwise, they'd be punished.

Duncan prepared himself for the worst. He could help but fear that the movie was based on another killing game the bear had hosted.

* * *

The screen was black until a floating left hand appeared.

"Hello and welcome to the best-rated show of all time!" the hand laughed, "I'm Master Hand and you're watching the despair channel!"

A slideshow of images showing destroyed landmarks appeared as happy music played along.

"Upupu!" Monokuma laughed as the camera panned towards him, "Today marks an important date in the history of our channel! Today,  _it_  begins. The brand new season of Hope's Peak killing game!"

"Directed by the one and only..." a female voice announced before the camera panned to reveal her identity, "Ultimate Despair, Zelda!"

A crowd cheered as she appeared on-screen.

"The Remnants of Despair have been quite incompetent lately, failing at even the simplest tasks. How despairing… They're only failing to make me despair… So, their show's canceled! Instead, I'll be participating in Class N64's killing game! The one with my beloved classmates, the only people worthy of participating by my side!"

"Now let the game begin!" Zelda, Monokuma and Master Hand shouted in unison.

* * *

All the students watched in shock as they saw body after body appear on the screen. Pichu and Peach were crying more and more with every passing second. The rest of the class remained silent as the movie continued to play.

Duncan couldn't believe his eyes. There was no way what he could be seeing was true. He didn't want to believe any of it. He didn't know any of the students, but he couldn't watch them die because of despair. Yet he knew that he couldn't do anything to help them. He was just a duck, a duck stuck on an island in which the only way to escape was to kill.

But not all hope was lost as the final trial ended and the mastermind was defeated. If class N64 could defeat the mastermind, so could he and his classmates. In Duncan's eyes, Monokuma's movie had failed as it brought him hope. The mastermind could be defeated.

* * *

Once the credits finished rolling, Zelda appeared once again.

"Guess I'm dead now, huh?" she smirked, "I wonder how many of you are watching this? Probably around half. I bet you're all filled with hope or despair after watching that. Well, I'm here to make it even worse!"

"Upupu! You better make it worse!" Monokuma giggled, "Wouldn't want them to get all happy, after all!"

"Oh, I'd only want the worst for my precious fifteen Remnants of Despair. You guys are the absolute worst, I can't stand you! Screw class M63, all you do is disappoint! How dare you guys go murdering people for fun without my permission? The whole world wants you dead. But you guys are still kinda cute. After all, you guys are completely oblivious to the true purpose of this game! Not that I can blame you, you guys can't remember a thing!"

* * *

The movie came to an abrupt halt as Zelda finished talking. Duncan didn't know what to think anymore. The hope he had just vanished. The dreams he had… Could they have been linked to Zelda and the Remnants? Was he a Remnant?

"Your movie sucked!" Ganondorf shouted, "It was complete shit! There's no way any of us are murderers or Remnants of Despair!"

"Well, one of you isn't," the bear revealed, "Someone here is a traitor! Maybe, they could be dead for all I know… Or they could be hiding among all of you."

"Hah! You mean the masterminds, right? Are there two of them?"

"The traitor isn't the mastermind! The mastermind's doing perfectly fine though. They know who they are. All though in a way there are more than one… But that's top secret information!"

The bear disappeared leaving the students alone. Monomi appeared for a second but fled as soon as the students mention a traitor.

"That movie can't be real," Pichu sobbed, "My big brother isn't dead, right?"

"Poor Mario," Peach cried, "I can't believe he was pushed into killing..."

"I've had it with Monokuma!" Falco shouted as he threw the chair he was sitting on it, "There's no way Fox is a killer!"

Duncan couldn't think straight, he could feel the sadness and anger his classmates were feeling. He felt completely clueless and had no idea what was going on. He needed help. He needed someone to pull him out of despair.

"Guys, we can't let this movie get to us!" Marth yelled, "Monokuma wants us to be upset… So, we should focus on the fact that the mastermind can be defeated!"

"Y-you really think we can win?" Duncan stuttered, "Even though we're all murderers and can't remember a thing..."

"Well… That doesn't matter because we don't know if it's true. Plus, wouldn't we all have aged if everything the movie showed was real? There's no way we haven't changed at all in three years."

"Y-you're right! We need to keep fighting, even through all the pain."

* * *

Duncan was inside a classroom. It reminded him of the classroom he had entered at the beginning before Jabberwock Island…

He saw fifteen students talking to someone. He couldn't tell if that person was a student or a teacher, but he could tell that they didn't want to be there.

"Let's destroy the world!"

"Yeah! I'll make sure to kill more than anyone!"

"Anyone who's against us will rot to death!"

"I'll poison them all!"

"Electrocute them!"

"Have them die in an unfortunate accident!"

"A very unfortunate accident!"

"Oops! Sorry for hitting you with a hammer!"

"How about making them kill each other?"

"Yes, we've already done that before!"

"Now that sounds like a plan!"

"How boring… Don't you know that pain causes more despair than death?"

"Physical torture!"

"Mental torture!"

"Who cares as long as there's despair!"

The room was filled with psychotic laughter. But among the laughter, Duncan could hear faint sounds of someone crying.

***Bing Bong Ding Dong***

" **It's 7 am! Time to wake up you little brats! Have a nice tropical day!"**

Was that a memory? Duncan couldn't tell. But he had more urgent business to attend to, his stomach was crying out for food.

* * *

It seemed most people had decided to sleep in, so Sheik was the only one, besides Duncan, in the restaurant. The two decided that they should make breakfast for everyone.

"I'm not that much of a cook, but I think I could pull off something," Sheik admitted, "We could try making pancakes."

"Sounds like a plan to me. How are you feeling after… You know..."

"Part of me wants to deny it… I knew Zelda and she wasn't the kind of person who would want to hurt anyone. I don't know if she changed or if I was just oblivious. Monokuma really likes making me feel weak..."

"You're not weak… You manage to stay calm and you don't let him get to you. He's gotten to me a lot..."

"But you always recover, that's much more admirable. I've always been a calm rational person, it would take a lot for Monokuma to make me go crazy. But that doesn't mean he can't affect me or anger me. If I didn't have friends, I think I'd be a completely different person."

"That goes for everyone. If we didn't have friends, we'd probably have gone insane long ago."

"True… I hope we get out of here soon. If this game goes like the previous one, that means there are two or three trials left."

"You really think it will go the same?"

"If there's one thing that Zelda's always liked, it's patterns and easter eggs. I guess depending on how today goes, we'll be able to figure out how this game ends."

"I hope- Damn it, the pancake's burning!"

"I guess cooking isn't our thing..."

"But we can't give up… We'll make pancakes until we perfect them!"

"Yeah! All though, it's not as though anyone here knows how to cook."

The two laughed as they finished making some edible pancakes for their friends. They waited for everyone to arrive, but it didn't look like they were coming.

"We should look around for everyone," Duncan quacked.

* * *

Duncan and Sheik found Roy and Marth at Rocketpunch Market looking for snacks to cheer Link and Peach up. Peach and Link were in the library reading self-help books. Falco was working out in the park.

"Where's Pichu?" Sheik asked Duncan.

"I don't know he's so tiny, I have no idea where to look for him."

"I know, right?" a high-pitched voice agreed, "Where on Earth is Pichu?"

"Pichu! Have you seen Ganondorf?"

"He went to the amusement park for some reason. I thought he hated it."

"Maybe he visited the castle," Sheik theorized, "The rest wouldn't be of much interest to him."

"Let's go find him! By, the way, have you guys found Pichu?"

The trio arrived in front of the castle and Sheik quietly opened the door. Her efforts to remain silent were pointless as Pichu shouted Ganondorf's name.

Duncan walked around not knowing where to look. He stared at the carpet knowing there was no way Ganondorf was underneath it.

The duck could swear there was a red stain on the carpet. As he approached it, he felt a drop fall on his beak.

"Duncan your beak is-" Pichu laughed before suddenly screaming, "Guys! Up there!"

Duncan looked up and saw the source of the drop of blood which now lied on his beak. Ganondorf's blood.

" **A body has been discovered! After some investigation time, the trial will begin! Good luck, you bastards!"**

Duncan, Sheik, and Pichu stared at the body in disbelief. Ganondorf's head had been pierced with an arrow and his body was hanging against the wall thanks to a spear. Blood slowly dripped out of his wounds onto the floor.

"H-he always gets to us," Duncan stuttered as he tried to hold in his anger, "Monokuma… He can't… No, he won't let us be happy..."

* * *

Deleted scene:

Marth: I-I think I'm gonna puke.

Ganondorf: Do it on Link.

Link: No, do it on Ganondorf. We're friends, Marth.

Ganondorf: I never made a princess Martha joke.

Link: W-well, I've got a pretty face but Ganondorf's already ugly, so he wouldn't look any different. You've gotta be logical about this.

Roy: The ride's over guys.

Ganondorf: What? But who's he gonna puke on now?

Roy: He just left to go to the toilet.

Link: Does anyone know how to turn people into toilets?

Monokuma: I do!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed.
> 
> This took forever and I had a ton of mock exams in January. I feel like it's too long but I wanted to get some stuff out of the way like the dreams. That way I can focus more on the characters for chapter 5 since chapter 5 is supposed to be the big important chapter. I've already planned it out along with chapter 6. I hope you guys will like it.
> 
> Hopefully, I'll be able to get the investigation done by the end of February since I'm going to Spain tomorrow at 3am.
> 
> So much has happened in the smash community. Everyone was like Roy's good and Chrom sucks, then the game came out they were like Chrom's better than Roy and then Chromicide was nerfed and now everyone's back to Roy's better than Chrom. Thank you Sakurai for making my main not suck (my two other mains need buffs though, mainly Kirby). Now I just need to buy a switch and SSBU (waiting to move to France in Summer where it's cheaper).
> 
> Also, Ike got a Valentines alt in FEH and he came home with great IVs and I love him and I S-supported him with Soren's Valentines alt who came home twice. I'm so happy, I love them so much. And my Marth and Roy are both +10 now and I love them too. Now I'm just praying we get a legendary Roy because he's the only CYL1 winner to not have an alt.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	12. Chapter 4 - Ultimate Summit - Derpy Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story takes a new turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I haven't really been feeling this fic lately. I'll still finish it but I won't make a story for any of the other smash games. I really don't care about any of the characters that aren't in Melee besides Ike who I only really care about in FE. I just don't want to force myself to write a story with characters I don't like, that isn't my style. I'd just end up giving Ike almost all the screen time whenever there are no Melee/64 characters. I've always known that Melee and 64 characters have always been my favorite, all my mains and favorite characters to watch are from those games after all.
> 
> But that's not the only reason. I've also become invested in what truly makes Smash Bros a great franchise: the players. They've got way more interesting personalities and backstories than any of the smash bros characters. Seriously, some of these guys have stories that sound like they're from an anime.
> 
> After having watched the entirety of the Smash Ultimate Summit, I've decided that I'm just way more invested in the players than the characters. Ultimate has been able to unite Melee and Smash 4 players unlike anything else before. It made the Melee players part of the Smash fandom since Melee was proven to not belong to the Smash fandom according to years of research.
> 
> Thus, my next story will be about the people I actually care about and it just so happens that Summit had 16 players.
> 
> I'd just like you all to know that Sakurai was the mastermind the whole time, Link's the traitor and that in the end, everyone except Kirby dies.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this preview of what's to come in the future.

"Summit Academy" It's an exclusive academy, officially recognized by the internet itself, it aspires to gather the most talented video game players in their respective fields. General opinion says that if you attend the school you have success in gaming guaranteed. The school has a few years of history in which its top players got to the leading role of their professional field time after time and in which the school has expanded to multiple regions. Its goal is to raise Earth's "gamers" that will lead it in the future. This has led some people to call the school the "Academy of Gaming".

To be accepted into the academy, you have to be invited, win specific tournaments or be voted in. There are multiple classes each divided by game title. You've got Dota 2, DBFZ and many more… But the most famous one is the Smash Bros class which for the first time ever will allow access to Smash 4 and Melee players, as well as newcomers.

"I'm Zero and I'm the best Smash 4 player in the world. Today, a new chapter of my life begins."

* * *

Zero entered the gym where he found all of his classmates, fifteen Smash Bros players. The Smash 4 player felt the need to introduce himself to them.

"Hi, I'm Zero and I'm the best Smash 4 player in the world."

As he finished his mini-introduction, he could feel glares being directed at him. He had to fix this fast or he'd end up with no friends and probably bullied by everyone else.

"But at heart, I'm a Melee player."

All the glares were now gone, but rumor has it that someone who had spent years researching died in the inside as Zero uttered those words.

* * *

"Upupu!" Monokuma laughed as he appeared out of nowhere "Are you guys ready for a killing game? It's the only way out, you know?"

Those words changed everyone's lives forever. They were all facing a problem that could not be fixed with no items, Fox only, Final Destination.

Meanwhile, Zero was regretting not wearing his Monokuma shirt. He was sure the psychotic bear would have let him go if he was wearing that shirt.

* * *

"I can't believe the only thing we have to entertain us is Smash 4," Mewt2King complained as he stared at an unloved WiiU.

"Dude, at least we know how to play it," Zero replied as he turned on the WiiU, "It's better than nothing."

"This is so stupid. It isn't even updated, we have none of the DLC characters. It's like day one smash 4."

"But, dude, that means..." Zero started while looking at Mew2King.

"That Diddy Kong's combos are still intact!" both of them shouted in delight as they started playing.

They spent exactly twenty seconds on it before being unable to handle it.

"Fuck this game's so slow."

* * *

"I've been thinking," Cosmos announced, "I kinda want to adopt Zackray."

"What?" ZD protested, "I wanna adopt Zackray."

"Why do you guys want to that?" Zero asked.

"He's got this aura that makes you want to adopt him."

"Eh, I guess I see your point, dude."

Poor Zackray, he had no idea what the guys were talking about but he kept hearing his name. He hoped it was nothing bad.

"You guys are crazy," Light shouted, "Zackray's a bad kid."

"You can't just say that to him," Void said as he covered Zackray's ears, "He's too pure for this world."

* * *

"What are you cooking, dude?" Zero asked Samsora.

"I'm making gumbo!" the Peach main said with joy as he showed off his pot full of… gumbo?

"Nobody wants to eat your gumbo, dude," Plup revealed.

"..."

"We can't eat it," Nairo added.

"Thank you."

"He's got a point," Glutonny agreed.

"Let's just make hotdogs instead," Mkleo suggested.

"Can I have more?" Dabuz asked completely ruining the conversation.

* * *

Mango had organized a little meeting with Zero, Plup and Mew2King.

"Guys, I think you are the most trustworthy people here," the Melee player announced, "As for the least trustworthy… I don't think we can trust the Swedes."

"What!?" Zero replied in shock, "But they're Melee players like us."

"I think what he means to say is that they'll team up against us since they're both from the same place," Plup clarified.

"So, what are we going to-" Mew2King started before being interrupted.

"I don't think we can trust Leffen," Armada interrupted, "We need to keep an eye on him."

"We'll make sure that he doesn't cause trouble," Mango promised.

"Shit, he's coming. I've gotta leave. This conversation never happened."

The Swede left thus leaving his place to the other Swede.

"I don't think we can trust Armada," Leffen told his fellow Melee players, "I think he's planning something."

"We'll make sure that he doesn't cause trouble," Mango promised.

Leffen left seemingly satisfied by Mango's promise. When the Swede was out of sight, Mango resumed his conversation.

"As I was saying, we can't trust the Swedes. They're only making us think they don't trust each other! Before we know it, we will all be suffocating under a pile of meatballs!"

* * *

"If you don't kill anyone, you won't be able to play with the character you've spent the most time playing as in Ultimate anymore!" Monokuma laughed.

All the Smash players were silent. What a cruel motive. Some people had secondaries and wouldn't have too much of a problem changing characters and others mained clones and could simply switch to the original version. However, Cosmos and Armada were screwed since they were inkling mains and inkling mains only play inkling. Everyone was truly upset about the motive.

Except for Leffen. Leffen was quite happy about not being able to play Pokemon Trainer anymore.

That pissed off Monokuma, so he changed the motive.

"New motive! If no one dies, online will never be fixed!"

The three Europeans groaned in despair and the others felt just as infuriated because online sucked.

* * *

Zero and Mew2King were walking down the park, bored of playing Smash 4 and in need of fresh air. At least, the park was pretty nice, so the walk was okay. However, they found something that they had never expected to find.

Mango was lying on the ground with a bottle of beer in his hand. There was drool coming out of his mouth and his body was lifeless.

"Did he have a hangover?" Mew2King asked.

"I think he's dead, dude," Zero replied.

"Oh. Okay."

The duo continued their walk.

* * *

Zero was taking a closer look at Mango's body. It didn't look like the American had engaged in a fight. The cause of death must have been the beer.

"Dude, I think he was poisoned."

No reply.

"Oh, right… I forgot you couldn't speak English. Sorry, dude."

Zackray had no idea what Zero was apologizing for. So, he just gave a thumbs up.

* * *

"Anyone wanna place bets on who did it before the trial starts?" ZD asked everyone.

"I'll bet 1000 dollars Mango died from drinking too much beer and that everyone here is innocent," Light smiled.

"I bet he's not actually dead!" Leffen smirked.

"In that case, I bet he's the mastermind!"

"If Mango were here," Zero started, "I think he would want us to blame the non-Americans."

"So, you're saying that an American killed Mango?"

"Guys!" Monokuma shouted, "The trial hasn't started yet!"

* * *

The trial had already gone on for half an hour and the only word Zackray had understood was Mango. Poor boy… He was way too pure for Danganronpa.

* * *

"I think someone must have given Mango the beer," Void theorized.

"He must have kidnapped him and forced him to drink it!" Light suggested.

"Sore wa chigau yo, dude!" Zero yelled, "There were no signs of a struggle!"

Zackray was happy that he finally understood something that wasn't Mango.

* * *

"What do you think the cause of death was in that case?" Cosmos asked Armada.

"It was obviously… Um… Förgiftning!"

" Förgiftning?" Leffen replied in Sewdish, "Pratar du om alkohol eller gift?"

"Alkohol, förstås. Det är trots allt Mango."

"Så, du föreslår att han drack själv till döds?"

"Ja, han måste ha varit helt full på grund av utseendet på hans ansikte."

"Vad tror du pågår i hans sinne? Tror du att han var glad att veta att hans sista ögonblick skulle vara honom med öl?"

The two Swedes started laughing their asses off while everyone was confused. It became a bit annoying after a while, so Zero and MkLeo decided to speak in Spanish.

"¿Que piensas sobre los hotdogs?" Zero asked.

"Me gustaría cambiar mi nombre a Mkhotdog."

"¡Eso es una buen idea! ¡Me encanta!"

Annoyed, Glutonny decided to speak French with himself.

"Ces gens ils me pètent les couilles. Pourquoi est-ce que j'ai du venir à cet endroit de merde? Mais qu'est-ce que je pensais quand j'ai accepté la putain d'invitation de merde. Pourquoi est-ce que je ne peux pas arrêter de dire merde? Putain de merde!"

* * *

"So, if he wasn't forced to go anywhere, I think that leaves only one possibility," Mew2King said as he started going in full robot mode, "Mango must have gone to the cafeteria out of his own free will. He was the only one who knew that there was beer. However, we have no access to any kind of poison as far as I'm aware and none of us know enough about making poison. But, many of us here know little to nothing about cooking. So, it's possible that his cause of death wasn't related to the beer at all. He died because he ate something that was off!"

"Can you repeat that, dude?" Zero asked.

* * *

"Dude, I think we're close to solving this case!" Void smiled.

"You're right, dude!" Samsora cheered.

"We've only got one thing to figure out, dude," Glutonny interrupted.

"Dude, you are so right," ZD agreed.

"What is it, dude?" Light asked.

"I think he's talking about some very important detail, dude," Cosmos answered.

"Dude, before anyone here dies, Leo wants to make a very important announcement," Dabuz revealed.

"I want to be known as Mkhotdog, dude!" Leo shouted.

"What if this is a trap, dude?" Leffen suggested.

"Wouldn't surprise me, dude," Mew2King replied.

"Dude, we could be in danger," Armada pointed out.

"What do we do know, dude?" Plup asked.

"We figure out something, dude!" Nairo said.

"Dude," Zackray said in an attempt to join in the conversation.

"You make a good point, dude!" Zero cheered.

"Why's everyone saying dude?" Mango asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead, dude?"

* * *

"That's it?" Peach yelled in frustration at the book she and Link were reading, "What was even the point of this?"

"The back of the book said it would make you feel better," Link pointed out.

"I could come up with a story way better than this in my sleep! In my sleep! None of it made sense."

"Eh, it's got its charm, dude."

"I guess you're right, dude."

" **A body has been discovered! After some investigation time, the trial will begin! Good luck, you bastards!"**

"Not again, dude!"

"I know, right, dude?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved Summit too much. I really love all of the players. It was a blast. After watching it, I knew I had to make this the April Fools chapter.
> 
> At first, I was gonna do a trailer like last year, but some of the scenes I had planned would spoil future events. I might write it in the future if I feel like it.
> 
> Next chapter will be out around mid-April. I've got lots of schoolwork and I had to write all of my university applications and stuff.
> 
> See you guys next chapter.


	13. Chapter 4 - Ultimate Dreams - Deadly Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan must investigate Ganondorf's death. However, some discoveries lead to more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here!
> 
> All I have to say is... Subscribe to Pewdiepie!

Duncan hated Monokuma. He had never hated someone as much before. All that bear did was bring despair.

But Duncan couldn't let his anger and hatred overtake him, he needed to help everyone solve the case. He needed to make sure justice was brought upon Ganondorf's killer, no matter who the killer was.

Once everyone had made it to the castle to discover Ganondorf's lifeless body, Monokuma allowed them to look at the Monokuma File.

**Truth Bullet #1 Ganondorf died at 8 am after having an arrow shot through his head.**

Duncan couldn't help but feel bad for the Gerudo. He must have had to endure being stabbed before being shot. Whoever had killed him was just as cruel as Monokuma.

"Hey, Duncan!" Peach yelled as she pointed towards the wall of weapons, "Come check this out!"

The duck flew towards the blonde who pointed out some blank spaces on the wall, some weapons had been taken. All the missing weapons matched the weapons that were seemingly involved in Ganondorf's demise.

**Truth Bullet #2 The following weapons are missing from the wall of weapons: a spear, a bow and arrows.**

Duncan knew the next thing he needed to check out was Ganondorf's body. He was the only one who could get up close to inspect it after all.

The flying bird carefully observed Ganondorf's head. He had been shot from the back, but his back was facing the wall. Maybe the killer moved the arrow to confuse them?

**Truth Bullet #3 Ganondorf was shot from the back.**

Duncan examined the spear afterwards. Ganondorf had been stabbed from the front. The spear also appeared to be very strong and looked heavy. This gave Duncan an idea.

He flew down towards his classmates and asked them all to try lifting up one of the spears. Pichu was the first volunteer to lift up a spear, he couldn't even make it roll.

The others took turns trying to lift it, but no one managed to lift it for more than a few seconds. Even when they all tried lifting it together, the spear didn't spend much time off the floor.

**Truth Bullet #4 The spear used to stab Ganondorf is too heavy to be lifted.**

Duncan flew back to Ganondorf's body to continue his investigation. He couldn't find anything interesting like bruises on the Gerudo's body. Unsatisfied, he looked through the deceased's pockets in hopes of finding a clue.

As he looked through a jacket pocket, he came across a folded paper covered in blood. Duncan noticed something was written on it but he could only make out the beginning since the rest was smudged or hidden by blood.

"Mast..." Duncan read out loud, "Did Ganondorf write this?"

**Truth Bullet #5 A note was found in Ganondorf's pocket. The writing is smudged and covered with blood with only "mast" being legible.**

The duck flew down to look at the puddles of blood that had been formed on the floor. The smallest one was dry and barely visible whereas the biggest one appeared to be fresh.

**Truth Bullet #6 There are two puddles of blood, a small dry one and a big fresh one.**

The blood in the big puddle obviously belonged to Ganondorf, but Duncan couldn't figure out whether the blood in the small puddle was also his. The whole case was confusing him.

The duck was unsure of what he should investigate next. He spotted Sheik staring intensely at a wall. Amused, he decided to approach her and ask her what she was looking at.

"There's something odd about this brick," the blonde answered not taking her eyes off the brick, "It's color is slightly different, it has a light pink hue."

Duncan examined the brick. He lightly touched it to check if the hue was due to blood. However, as his wing made contact with the brick, he heard a sound of something moving.

"Hey, guys!" Falco shouted, "There's a secret room that just appeared!"

**Truth Bullet #7 A brick in the wall allows access to a secret room.**

Duncan ran to where Falco was. He entered the secret room which was a complete mess. It was as though someone had entered and left in a hurry. Duncan could spot some right-handed scissors next to some strings and sticks. Besides those objects, he saw many ropes and a few pulleys.

"The killer must have used these to carry the spear!" Falco theorized, "I am so gonna solve this case!"

Duncan rolled his eyes and continued searching for objects. Below some wrappers, he managed to find what he was looking for: the missing bow and arrows.

**Truth Bullet #8 The following objects were found in the secret room: scissors, strings, ropes, pulleys, sticks, arrows and a bow.**

Duncan was about to leave when he heard Falco shout about there being an eye in the wall. Duncan asked where it was and the blue bird pointed to a hole situated at a height of about two meters.

Duncan flew towards it and took a peek. He saw a dark blue eye. Duncan was confused until the eye blinked.

"Pichu?"

"Ducky!"

Duncan decided not to question how Pichu had gotten all the way up there, but he asked the pokemon to leave. The duck took a closer look at the hole and noticed it was big enough to let the arrows through.

**Truth Bullet #9 There is a hole in the wall of the secret room. It is big enough to let an arrow through and is located at a height of around two meters**

* * *

The next place Duncan thought about investigating was Ganondorf's room. The door to the Gerudo's cottage was already open since people were already investigating it.

Duncan flew towards the ceiling to have a better view of the room. On top of a dusty closet, he saw a folder. The others must have missed it because they were too short to see it and had no way to get up to it.

The duck sat on Ganondorf's bed and called the other students investigating the room to look at his discovery. He opened the folder and found a photo of class N64 with some of the students circled.

"Why's my big brother circled?" Pichu asked as he looked at the picture.

"He's not the only one," Marth added, "Zelda, Link's cousin, Mario, Luigi and Fox are also circled."

"I'm starting to feel like Monokuma's purposely targeting certain students," Roy sighed.

"He's been doing that since the very beginning. He's always expecting certain students to be the killers!"

**Truth Bullet #10 A picture of class N64 was in Ganondorf's room. Link, Zelda, Mario, Luigi, Pikachu and Fox are circled.**

Duncan continued looking through the folder and came across a photo of his class. He noticed that all the students that had died before Ganondorf had been crossed out. Among the remaining students, Duncan, Roy and Marth weren't circled.

**Truth Bullet #11 A picture of all the students was in Ganondorf's room. All the dead students are crossed out. Ganondorf, Sheik, Link, Pichu, Falco and Peach are circled.**

Duncan didn't know why Monokuma was so obsessed with class N64 and their relationship to his class, but he was sure it was vital information for the class trial and the case.

As he was making his way out, Duncan saw a book on Ganondorf's desk. He wouldn't have thought much of it if he hadn't read the title "Cognitive Therapy".

The duck didn't know why the Gerudo would be reading such a book. He opened it and found a paper with "train" written on it. He glanced at a few pages but it didn't seem like there was anything worth reading in the book.

**Truth Bullet #12 A book about therapy was on Ganondorf's desk. It had a paper with "train" written on it inside.**

Duncan thought about what "train" could mean. Was Ganondorf planning on doing something that needed lots of practice? The duck was unsure until he remembered the Monokuma train he had seen a few days prior to Ganondorf's death.

* * *

It took quite some time for Duncan to find everyone and tell them to head to the Monokuma train with him. He wasn't surprised that most of the students were having doubts, he wasn't sure if there even was something hidden within the train.

When Duncan and his friends arrived at the station, they were greeted by an overly excited Monokuma.

"You're all going to ride on my train! I'm so excited!"

"Great, it's not as though I've been on a train before," Link smirked, "Can't wait?"

"Do they make you sick like roller coasters?" Marth asked sarcastically.

"You've never been on a train before!?" Falco shouted in shock, "This class gets weirder every day."

"I want the front seat!" Pichu grinned as he rushed inside the train.

Duncan sat next to Pichu and waited for everyone else to get in. When everyone was seated, Monokuma announced the departure of the train.

The train ride had to be the absolute worst train ride ever for Duncan. The train was moving at the speed of a snail, maybe even slower. He was positive that Monokuma was messing around with them.

To pass the time, Duncan decided to take a nap. Hopefully, somebody would wake him up once they arrived at whatever location the crazy bear was taking them to.

* * *

"We're here!" a high-pitched voice yelled full of excitement.

Duncan stretched himself as he got out of the train. He had managed to have a somewhat enjoyable nap.

The duck immediately analyzed his surroundings. He didn't know where he was but he knew he didn't like the bright colors he was seeing. Monokuma had no sense of design, it was like he was trying to blind everyone.

"You've arrived at my super awesome despair-inducing secret house!" Monokuma announced, "Have fun!"

"It's actually a pretty nice house," Peach admitted, "I wish I had a pink house like this one!"

"Peach, you're complementing Monokuma's house," Sheik informed her.

"This house is horrible!"

Duncan sighed as he listened to the two girls' conversation. He had more important things to do.

The house was spacious and practically empty save for some furniture. Duncan felt as though Monokuma was just wasting everyone's time.

He walked around the house, bored and hoping to find something interesting. After looking around the majority of the house, he found a strange door. The door was black and clashed with the bright colors in the house. When Duncan opened it, he was introduced into a dark room.

Once he managed to carefully find the light switch, Duncan couldn't help but feel disgusted. The room was full of Monokuma statues and paintings. It was like a room dedicated entirely to the psychotic bear. Everything had Monokuma on it. The light was shaped like him, the computer had stickers of him on it and so did all the books.

"Jeez, and I thought this island couldn't get any worse," Falco complained as he entered the room, "This guy's a total narcissist."

Duncan would have loved to engage in a passionate conversation about all of Monokuma's negative aspects with Falco, but he needed to investigate. He looked through all the books he could find. Most of them had intriguing titles but were filled with blank pages. Even the "Official Hope's Peak Academy Files" was completely empty. It was as though everything had been erased for some reason.

The only books to not be empty had nothing to do with anything such as "The Smash Bros", "Subspace Emissary" or "World of Light". They were all fiction.

**Truth Bullet #13 The only books to not be blank inside the Monokuma room are works of fiction.**

The next thing Duncan wanted to look at was the computer. He was sure Monokuma would have something important in it hidden among a million photos of himself.

Duncan scrolled and scrolled for what appeared to be an eternity until he found a file that wasn't a photo. He eagerly clicked on it only to be greeted by a window asking him for a password.

Duncan wanted to cry. All of his scrolling had been for nothing. Stupid password…

"I have a feeling the password is Monokuma," Link told Duncan who immediately started typing.

"Link, there's no way Monokuma would put such an obvious password," Marth informed his friend, "He probably put something hard to decipher. It's not worth wasting our-"

"It worked!" Duncan grinned, "My scrolling wasn't for nothing!"

Relieved, Duncan looked at the file only to be confused.

**Monokuma's despair-inducing plan for the 15 shitty remnants and the one guy who faked being a remnant and betrayed the 15 shitheads!**

**Hey shithead reading this, I had to simplify this for you! If the traitor is still alive, you're a dick! Mastermind, you better not mess up shit even if it's for the lolz! Otherwise, you know what will happen!**

**Sorry for the killing game spoilers! Most of you are too dumb to figure it out!**

**Trial 1**

**If no one kills after 24 hours, the first person to be killed will be the traitor.**

**Trial 2**

**If alive, the traitor will start regaining memories. Otherwise, the mastermind will start regaining memories.**

**Trial 3**

**The despair mode activated by one of the first six makes them unable to kill. If the despair mode is activated by the traitor, they will kill no matter what.**

**Trial 4**

**The first six will start regaining memories.**

**Trial 5**

**If still alive, the traitor must be removed no matter what. The motive will be tailored to make them kill or get them killed. Otherwise, the planned motive will be used.**

**Trial 6**

**Only the first six are left: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 and MM. Everyone will regain their memories by the end. If MM wins, the remaining six will replay the game until they win. If MM loses, plan Z will start.**

"O-only six of us will survive?" Duncan stuttered in disbelief, "We can't do anything to stop this game?"

"We can't sure about that," Sheik reassured the stressed out duck, "For all we know, this could be a draft."

"I hope that's the case..."

**Truth Bullet #14 Monokuma has a plan for the killing game on his computer.**

Duncan exited the room feeling uneasy. He couldn't believe what he had seen. He didn't want to investigate anymore. The gloomy duck decided he'd rather rest until the start of the trial. He couldn't let his misery affect him during the trial.

Nobody was allowed to leave Monokuma's house until the bear said they could. So Duncan found himself sitting on a bright pink sofa next to a plushy of Monokuma. The presence of the plushy annoyed the duck, so he kicked it off.

When the plushy hit the ground, Duncan noticed a zipper on the toy. He opened it and found photos he wished he had never found.

Each photo had on of his deceased classmates were covered in blood and standing in front of a pile of bodies. The bad lighting on the photos made them almost impossible to recognize and he could barely make out the creepy smiles and glowing eyes.

**Truth Bullet #15 Monokuma hid photos of the deceased students covered in blood and smiling in front of a pile of bodies.**

Duncan couldn't stand it any longer. He was going to complain, he didn't care what Monokuma thought.

"When can we leave?" the angry duck asked the bear.

"You want to leave?" the disappointed bear giggled, "Let's leave! Announcement time!"

The bear pulled out a microphone and made his usual announcement with a little twist.

" **Duncan's bored, so we're going to start the trial soon! Everyone to the main entrance!"**

Duncan glared at the bear, he wasn't amused at all.

* * *

Once everyone had arrived at the main entrance, the bear led them to a door hidden beneath the train's rails. The door was opened by him to reveal a big pink slide.

"Yay!" Pichu cheered, "I love slides!"

"Everyone, be careful!" the bear laughed, "You might not make it out alive! You can also take the stairs but the trial might be over by the time you get there!"

"Well, if I have to die, I'd rather die having fun than be murdered or executed."

"Aw, how cute! Upupu! You can all go at the same time, or two by two, or all alone or-"

"We get it, you fuck!" Falco cursed, "Bla bla bla, bye! Your slide's gonna suck!"

The bluebird went down the slide. The only sound that could be heard was him sliding down. After a minute, he yelled about how boring the ride was.

Despite the complaints, Duncan couldn't help but feel dizzy as he looked at all the twists and turns the slide had. And it seemed he wasn't alone.

"You know, I think I'll just take the stairs," Roy said as he faked a smiled and headed towards the stairs, "I'm not that useful in trials, anyway. No one will miss me."

He never reached the stairs because he was somehow grabbed by Marth who was standing over a meter away from him and pulled towards the slide against his will. The redhead begged Link not to let Marth push him but the blond ended up pushing his two friends before quickly joining them.

"I'm so scared!" Peach shouted, "Let's go together, Sheik!"

"If it makes you feel better."

The two friends went down together and once they had made it down, Pichu went down the slide. He was really light so he was moving at a slow pace. Not that Duncan minded, he did not want to go down that slide.

Suddenly, Duncan remembered something very important, he could fly.

Once he made it down, he noticed he was in the trial room. It looked like a desert and was really hot. The walls were decorated with sand and Duncan could spot some tiny camels on them. Monomi was tied to a pillar and dressed in a Gerudo tribe outfit.

Duncan sighed and went to his seat. He didn't want to participate in the trial, nothing made sense to him anymore. He wanted to rest, he wanted someone else to find all the answers and save everyone. He just wanted to be the assistant that would help sometimes.

But if he did that, Hunter's death would have been for nothing. All of his friends' deaths would have been for nothing. He had to help everyone solve the case. His life wasn't the only one on the line.

Duncan wasn't taking the easy way out this time, he would go all out for his friends and make sure they made it out on top. Despair wasn't going to win on Duncan's watch.

* * *

Deleted scene:

Marth: (grabs Roy) I've waited so long for this!

Roy: What?

Marth: Melee Marth grab joke.

Roy: Don't you have a better joke?

Marth: You.

Peach: (overhears) Sheik, we need a Melee joke!

Sheik: My down B.

Peach: …

Sheik: …

Peach: You're good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I've wanted to do a Melee Marth grab reference for so long. Finally found the right moment to use it!
> 
> I'm addicted to watching competitive smash. Although it makes me sad because it reminds me that I still don't own Smash Ultimate or a Switch. Damn it, I want to play a Smash game where Roy is good.
> 
> I'll try to get the next chapter done this week and hopefully, I'll start working on chapter 5 since I'm looking forward to it and it would be nice to get it done before or right after my final exams.
> 
> I hope I can finish this story before I move since I'm moving to France during the Summer break. Otherwise, I'll finish this story towards the end of Summer when I'm done sorting out all of my stuff and get an internet provider. Although I might buy the Switch and spend my whole time playing it if the rumored new Switch model isn't announced.
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


	14. Chapter 4 - Ultimate Summit - Class Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class trial to find Ganondorf's killer starts but everything leads to confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched Endgame today. I can now use the internet again!

"Let's start with an explanation of the class trial," Monokuma started, "During the trial, you will present arguments for who the killer is, and vote for 'whodunnit'. If you vote correctly, only the blackened will be punished and you will continue living your normal life here. But if you pick wrong, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will be allowed to graduate."

"You need to stop reusing the same lines!" Monomi yelled only to be ignored.

"I think we could start by finding out who could have killed Ganondorf at 8 am," Sheik suggested, "I was with Duncan at that time making breakfast."

"I was in the library with Peach," Link added, "Marth and Roy were together at Rocketpunch Market. That leaves Falco and Pichu."

"But neither of them would be capable of moving the spear," Peach noted, "How would they manage to hang Ganondorf?"

_There's perhaps one way they could manage that._

"They could have used the pulley and ropes!" Duncan quacked, "It would make it much easier for them to lift him up."

"Even so, it would be impossible for Pichu to succeed even with that," Roy explained, "That leaves only Falco..."

"I'm definitely not the killer!" the bluebird shouted, "There's no way it can be me! I would never even think of killing someone! The killer's framing me! Plus, how would I find the time to set everything up?"

"You've got a point, it would take a lot of time to set everything up."

"But what if everything was set up during the night?" Duncan asked, "The killer could have prepared the pulley and spear before getting Ganondorf to go to the castle."

"That still doesn't fix the issue of the timing," Sheik sighed, "It would still take lots of time to move Ganondorf."

"What if the killer stabbed Ganondorf and hung him against the wall before killing him?" Pichu suggested.

_No, that can't be possible._

"That can't be!" Duncan disagreed, "Ganondorf was shot from the back and his back was facing the wall."

"Aw and I thought I finally said something cool!"

"It's not completely impossible," Marth reassured the yellow pokemon, "Maybe the killer started lifting Ganondorf, shot him and turned him around."

"Yay! I wasn't wrong!"

"But how did the killer get rid of the ropes they used?" Peach asked, "They must have been able to climb up, right?"

"I think I've got an idea!" Falco smirked, "Maybe the killer planned on having Ganondorf's body fall and splatter all over the place! That would explain why he was hung in the first place."

"You're right! But why would the killer want to do that?"

"They obviously hated Ganondorf's guts! Or maybe Ganondorf had something on his body that revealed something very important… I don't know, could be either."

"When I looked in his pockets, I found a note covered in blood," Duncan remembered, "All that could be read was mast, but everything was so smudgy. So, I might have misread..."

"Hey, be confident in yourself!" Pichu smiled, "What do you think it stands for?"

"I guess it could stand for mastermind."

"Maybe Ganondorf figured out the mastermind's true identity," Link theorized, "He could have been planning on telling everyone but the mastermind stopped him."

"And Ganondorf must have fought back which would explain why the mastermind would have to hang him in an attempt to stand a chance against him," Sheik added, "It must have all happened early in the morning and the mastermind must have been in a rush which explains the note."

"That still only leaves Falco as a possibility though."

"But I'm not the mastermind!" the bird complained, "Even if I was, why would I choose to strike now?"

"Because no one else was going to kill. Nothing would stop the mastermind from killing."

_But something shows that the mastermind wouldn't want to risk getting executed…_

"No, you're wrong!" Duncan quacked, "The plans on Monokuma's computer show that the Mastermind would want to be alive until the sixth trial. If they killed earlier, they would risk being executed."

"I can see what you're getting at, but something about those plans doesn't add up," Marth told the duck, "Six people are supposed to make it to the sixth trial and eight of us are currently alive. If six of us can't be killers or victims, that leaves only two."

"And that means one trial won't have a killer."

"Exactly, so one case will have to involve a suicide unless the plans are fake."

"They're real alright!" Monokuma cheered, "I'd never give you anything fake! Everything I give to you is a hundred percent real."

"Now that I think of, Ganondorf would probably be able to lift up the spear," Peach assumed, "He must have discovered something very shocking."

"Maybe he was the traitor and saw that he was going to die anyway," Falco explained, "So, he killed himself to fuck with the mastermind!"

"But isn't the traitor supposed to be against the mastermind according to the plans? Why would they want to do something that will stop them from beating the mastermind?"

"Well, then… Ganondorf discovered that the mastermind is someone who no one would believe is the mastermind. He didn't want to live knowing he wouldn't be believed and thought he could mess up the plans."

"But how do we know that Ganondorf even saw the plans?" Duncan asked, "I didn't see anything showing that he ever entered Monokuma's house."

"You were the one to gather us after seeing something in his room."

"I also saw some red hair in Monokuma's house," Marth added, "It wasn't Roy's so it must have been Ganondorf's. I'm surprised you missed that."

_I guess I really slacked of back there… After learning everything, I didn't want to investigate anymore…_

"Wait!" Duncan shouted as he had an epiphany, "I think I know what might have shocked Ganondorf. He must have found the photos!"

"Um, what photos?" Roy asked.

"These photos!" Monokuma cheered.

The bear took out a screen from behind his throne and showed everyone the photos Duncan had found. Everyone was silent as they saw their deceased classmates in the photos.

"What's this bullshit?" Falco yelled at the bear, "Stop messing with us!"

"Upupu! They're photos of them before coming here. I have some of you guys too!"

"They're fake!" Peach screamed, "Our friends would never smile upon seeing dead bodies!"

"The lighting's also off," Roy commented, "Is there a reason you chose to show us low-quality images."

"I had to photoshop them a bit," Monokuma sobbed, "It's all your fault I had to photoshop them in the first place!"

"W-what!? Why?"

"Just ignore him, Roy," Marth told his friend before addressing the bear, "Can you show us our pictures?"

"No, they're all blurry!" the bear laughed, "It would be a waste."

"Ganondorf must have seen the pictures," Duncan said choosing to ignore Monokuma, "He must have been disgusted and chose to take his own life."

"But how did he make it to Monokuma's house?" Sheik asked.

"He must have been doing research and somehow had the idea to take the train. I think he was trying to investigate the reasoning behind the motive Monokuma gave us."

"That's why he had photos of everyone in his room!" Pichu squeaked, "He circled all the remaining students except for Duncan, Marth and Roy. In the other picture, he circled the other Link, Zelda, Mario, Luigi, Pikachu and Fox."

"There must be a link between all of the people he circled," Link smiled.

_How didn't I notice it immediately? It seems so obvious now…_

"All the circled students from our class personally knew someone from the other class," Duncan blurted out, "He must have been trying to figure out who was being targeted by the motive. Maybe he figured out who was likely to kill or be killed and chose to kill himself to stop that from happening."

"That must have been his way of telling the mastermind to fuck off," Falco smirked, "My money is on the mastermind expecting Pichu to kill Peach since she knew his brother's killer."

"But why would I do that?" Pichu asked, "Big brother wouldn't want that."

"Guys, aren't you all forgetting about that therapy book Ganondorf had in his room?" Roy asked.

_There must be a reason why he had that book…_

"He must have been looking for a way to prevent anyone from killing," Duncan quacked, "But if that's the case, what was the point of killing himself?"

"Maybe he was murdered and the murder was disguised as a suicide," Peach suggested, "The killer could be tricking us all right now."

"That means we're back to suspecting Pichu and Falco," Link sighed, "All of that talking for nothing."

"Ugh, I don't get it anymore? Did this case have to be all about secret rooms and weirdness?"

"Wait, how did we find the secret room in the castle?"

"Duncan touched a brick and it just opened," Sheik explained.

"That's right," Duncan added, "It was a light touch. It didn't feel like pressing a button."

"If we could go back to the castle we'd be able to check it out."

"So, let's go," Marth said as he made his way towards the exit of the room.

"Hey, you can't just leave in the middle of a trial!" Monokuma complained as he ran towards the prince before being kicked across the room.

"Try to stop me and you're dead meat."

"Upupu! You're quite mean when you want to be. Feeling more like your true self?"

"What?"

"Don't listen to him, he's just trying to get under your skin," Duncan reassured his friend.

All the students and Monokuma went to the castle and found the brick that could open the secret room.

"It doesn't appear to be any different," Duncan commented as he pressed his wing against the brick.

"I wanna try!" Pichu cheered.

The yellow pokemon jumped and threw himself at the brick with full force. Nothing happened. He tried again and again.

"This is unfair!" the pokemon pouted.

"I think it might only activate with a light touch," Duncan hypothesized.

Sheik lightly pressed the brick with one finger and the secret room was once again opened. She pressed it one more. This time gently with her entire hand and nothing happened.

"It looks like the size of the hand also affects the activation," the blond commented, "We should get everyone to try activating it. That includes Monokuma and Monomi."

"Upupu!"

Everyone attempted to activate the brick. Monokuma, Monomi and Duncan had no trouble. Pichu managed once someone lifted him up. The rest had trouble controlling their strength while pressing it.

"That was enough play time," Monokuma declared, "Back to the trial!"

Once everyone made it back to their respective seats, Monokuma resumed the trial.

"I hope you enjoyed your little trip because it's the last one you'll ever get," the bear pouted.

"I think this proves that Pichu is the killer," Falco frowned.

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"He doesn't have an alibi and had no trouble pressing the button correctly. He probably got Monokuma to help him lift Ganondorf!"

_No.. Pichu couldn't have managed that._

"That's wrong!" Duncan quacked, "Pichu only managed to press the brick once someone lifted him. He couldn't have pressed it alone."

"He got Monokuma to lift him."

"And then how would he have killed Ganondorf."

"He jumped on Ganondorf and stabbed him with an arrow."

"But the Monokuma file says that Ganondorf was shot. Pichu would be unable to even hold the bow and arrows we found."

"… Aha! He put an arrow in the hole inside the secret room. Then he tied the bow to the wall and lifted himself using a rope and pulled the string Then the arrow went flying."

"Even if he did that, the arrow would just fall," Link sighed, "There's no way for him to have shot Ganondorf. But I don't think you'd be able to do it either."

"Huh?"

"You've got feathers which would mess up the way you pull and hold the bow and arrow and as far as I'm aware, you've never shot a bow in your life. If you had used the bow, the room would have been full of missed shots."

"But if that's the case, neither Pichu nor Falco could be the killers and Ganondorf wouldn't have been able to shoot himself," Peach gasped, "So, who's the killer?"

"Maybe he lied to us," Roy suggested, "Maybe everything here is a lie..."

"Nope, no lying!" Monokuma grinned, "Ganondorf died at 8 am because he was shot in the head."

"Someone could have set up a trap but that would take a lot of time," Sheik frowned, "No one looks sleep deprived, so when would the killer have had the time to set it up?"

"You better make up your minds because time's up!"

"W-what?"

"Time's up! Vote! Majority wins!"

_This is just like in the movie Monokuma showed us… Does this mean we're supposed to vote… There might still be hope._

Duncan could barely bring himself to look at his lever. He could feel butterflies in his stomach because of the anticipation. When he finally set his eyes on the lever, he didn't see anything. No option to vote for Monokuma had appeared.

Duncan's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief. He didn't know who to vote for and had no idea what the others were planning to do. He couldn't do anything, he was scared. He didn't want to die, he didn't want his friends to die. All he did was tremble silently doing nothing but letting his imagination run wild as he imagined how Monokuma would execute everyone.

"I said it's time to vote!" the bear yelled full of rage, "Don't just stand there doing nothing! Vote!"

"You know, it all makes sense now," Roy told the bear, keeping his cool composure, "Now I get why you gave us the option to skip the trial. You didn't actually need anyone for this trial."

With those words, something clicked inside Duncan's brain.

"Monokuma killed Ganondorf," Duncan gasped, "He couldn't get anyone to kill, he had to intervene."

"Is Monokuma going to be executed?" Peach asked.

"If the killer is found, they die," Falco smirked, "This bear is dead."

"Will he be replaced by someone?"

"If there are still two trials that need to happen, probably," Sheik answered.

"Aw, I thought we had won!" Pichu pouted.

"Looks like it's punishment time for you, Monokuma," Marth glared.

"Hey, you guys can't execute me!" the bear protested, "Well, one of you can. But I don't think you want to reveal yourself. You'd have to press that giant red button in front of everyone."

"So, we all press it at the same time. Problem solved."

"What!? You can't do that!"

But it was too late for the bear. The remaining students all left their seats and gathered around the red button Monokuma hit with a hammer before every execution.

"W-will this really work?" Duncan stuttered as he put his wing on top of the button.

"It's not like Monokuma wants us dead," Marth smiled, "He's nothing without us. No one would want to watch his show if we all die at the same time."

"Yeah, you're right. We can do this!"

"Stop it you little brats!" Monokuma yelled in vain.

"It's punishment time!" the students shouted in unison as they pushed the red button together.

"You fucking brat! You did this on purpose! You'll regret this! Heck, all of you will!"

* * *

Monokuma appears on a familiar stage but he isn't surrounded by stars. No, the background this time looks like graphics from a computer. The bear waits and laughs as two hands appear at the edge of the stage.

**Final Destination Melee Version**

The hands start shooting laser beams at Monokuma who dodges them to the best of his abilities. They shoot balls of energy that the bear narrowly avoids. Every attack barely misses him. They continue their onslaught becoming faster and stronger with each attack.

Monokuma starts getting hit by some of the attacks but remains relatively undamaged. He starts fighting back and punches the hands. He punches. And he punches again. Once more. He doesn't stop. One of the hands is defeated and disintegrates letting out a low pitched scream.

Monokuma smirks as he sees the remaining hand attack him in vain. He avoids its lasers and is about to defeat it when he's slammed onto the stage. The hand hits the bear as though he were a fly.

Monokuma starts to break. His limbs are crushed and soon the rest of his body follows and only the head remains. The bear can do nothing but laugh at the despair in front of him. But his laugh is cut short by the final blow that turns his head into nothing but scraps of metal.

* * *

"I'm baaaaccckkk!" the hand shouted as it appeared in the trial ground, "Call me Crazy Hand."

"You're not supposed to exist here!" Monomi shouted at it, "How did you get here?"

"You know how. The armor's been deactivated making me show up! Time for the true show to begin!"

"They won't let you get your show! They'll defeat you before anything happens."

"Monomi please, once they see the next motive, you'll know for sure some won't be able to resist it. After all, they became remnants because of similar motives."

"That's not who they are! They won't become  _them_  again!"

"Hah! It's too late, they're already regaining their memories. In a few days, some will remember everything."

* * *

The students were all in the restaurant eating dinner. They weren't sure whether they should be happy no one else died or scared because of the two robots' conversation.

"Do you think they really meant what they said about us being remnants?" Peach asked as she aimlessly stirred her soup, "Are we really evil people deep down?"

"I guess we'll only know when we win this game," Sheik replied once she had finished eating her bread.

"But Monomi said we wouldn't become them," Pichu interrupted, "That means that the current us aren't evil!"

"Yeah, but if some of us are already regaining memories, who's to say we won't slowly become evil?"

"Maybe our current thoughts will be stronger than the memories," Link suggested, "We've made it through so much suffering already."

"Exactly, we won't let them overtake us," Marth smiled, "If Monomi was trying to make sure we didn't become remnants again, that means someone out there wanted us to become normal again. If they believed in us, we should also believe in ourselves. Otherwise all the others' deaths… W-would have been for nothing."

"Marth?'

"S-sorry, this food's too hot. I'm going outside to cool off."

"I'll go with you," Roy said as he followed his friend outside.

Duncan could have sworn the prince was about to breakdown. The trials were really wearing everyone down.

The duck finished his soup while thinking about the dreams he had had. They had to be his memories. But no one else was talking about theirs. Maybe they wanted to ignore them in an attempt to avoid becoming remnants again.

* * *

After dinner, Duncan went on a walk around the island thinking about the day's events. Monokuma had messed with everyone and he paid the price, but the suffering was far from over. There were still two trials left.

When he got near his cottage, he was hit with the feeling he was being watched. He turned around and saw a blue blur hide behind another cottage.

"Duncan," Falco whispered from behind the cottage, "We've gotta talk."

"About what?"

"I've been having weird dreams."

"You too?"

"Yeah, I can't tell who the people in my dreams are. First, they go on about reputations, then it's someone becoming crazy because they had to kill their parents and then it's a bunch of students in a classroom laughing about destroying the world."

"My first dream is different, but the rest is the same."

"So, weird!"

"What's all this talk about weird dreams?" Roy interrupted as he passed by,

"Um, I had a dream where half of all living things are snapped out of existence by a guy called Thanos. Anyways, where's Marth? Is he okay? Did he cry or something?"

"He's with Link in the restaurant. He's fine now and I won't answer that last question."

Falco sighed in relief as the redhead left.

"We're gonna have to talk more tomorrow."

Duncan finally returned to his cottage and prepared himself for bed. Part of him was wondering whether he'd get an actual dream or just more memories.

* * *

"Link, he's back!" Monomi cried out as she talked on her phone, "Have you figured something out?"

"No, we have no way to safely remove the remaining students from the outside. The software was modified after Monokuma's execution and can only be opened with a special key. The person who betrayed us must have it."

"Oh, no. Do you think it must be shut down from the inside?"

"Yeah, that seems to be our only option. We're still in the planning phase. We don't know who to send in."

"Things aren't looking much brighter on my side. They're regaining their memories."

"Yeah, I've seen. I don't know how long they'll be able to resist them. Have you discovered anything about Pichu?"

"I can't access anyone's data but I think I have an idea."

"That's good to hear. I wish he had a way to predict who the supposed first six remnants are. That would make solving everything much easier."

"Yeah..."

"We're only sure about one of them."

* * *

Deleted scene:

Monokuma: Hey, you can't just leave in the middle of a trial! It's against the rules!

Marth: Screw the rules, I've got money.  _(kicks Monokuma)_ Try to stop me and you're dead meat.

Roy: Marth… How do I break this to you?

Marth: Break what?

Roy: Monokuma's a robot. He can't become dead meat.

Pichu: What!? That's not possible. Monokuma's a bear!

Marth: You just ruined my moment…

Monokuma: I am offended. If I wasn't trying to get you all to kill each other, I'd kick you all off this island!

Falco: Wait, so if we piss you off enough we get to leave?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.
> 
> I really want to work on chapter 5 but school's coming up and I'm gonna have a lot of exams in June which luckily end right before Smash Summit
> 
> I went to watch Endgame today. Really liked it although some things didn't make sense and characters like Captain Marvel (now I understand all the hate for her lol) felt shoehorned in. But I really loved everyone else. Sadly, Ant-Man entering Thanos' asshole and expanding didn't happen. That's the only spoiler I'll give.
> 
> I swear I heard people crying in the theater.
> 
> Don't know when the next chapter will be out. June should be the latest date by which it will be out.
> 
> See you guys next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> I'm very excited about this story. It will probably be the story with the smartest overall cast.
> 
> As you have noticed, Bowser and Ganondorf aren't kings yet because they're still teenagers. Everyone's parents are alive. I made Lyn Roy's mom because it works for the whole inferiority complex shenanigan. I personally ship Eliwood (Roy's dad) with all his potential wives, so I'm kinda fine with everything (the people with culture know Hector is Roy's true mom). I just really like the idea of Lyn being SSB!Roy's mom because him getting her as an assist trophy is funny.
> 
> The beginning is kinda similar to the game, but like the first story, it will change the further we get into it.
> 
> You can choose three characters for the Duck Hunt Duo to hang out with. You can also choose who they prank. And don't worry, the throwing water on Roy while he tries to set someone on fire will happen. Probably…
> 
> See you guys next chapter!


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